《Me After Meeting You》


 Chapter 1. AMBER – UGLY WOMAN

    ¡°Any patient suffering from mental trauma is someone worth listening to. The primary goal of psychiatric care is not to provide patients with an unachievable state of happiness, but rather to help them build up their own patience and resolve to confront their own struggles.¡±


    ¡°Professor, does that mean that you believe that mental illnesses can¡¯t be treated?¡±


    ¡°No, quite the opposite in fact. Mental illnesses can be treated, as long as we provide these patients with sufficient patience and resolve.¡±


    ¡°Then professor, what if your patient ends up falling in love with you because of that?¡±


    Amber raised her head and smiled at the student who had asked the question, a young pretty girl who immediately hid behind her neighbor upon noticing Amber¡¯s gaze.


    Amber Camille was a psychiatrist and at the same time, a lecturer at a medical university. Because of her age, wit and looks, she was very popr among all the students and her lectures every Thursday were almost always filled to maximum capacity. Of course, this meant that she also received all sorts of strange questions at the end of every lecture.


    This wasn¡¯t the first time she had been asked such a question and so she was able to answer it handily. She smiling and said, ¡°I think I¡¯d be very happy, because that would mean that the patient¡¯s mind is under a wonderful misconception.¡±


    Someone else followed up and asked, ¡°Professor, do you think that love is a misconception?¡±N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    ¡°Rather than that, I¡¯d call it more of a temporary illusion.¡±


    ¡°Have you had such an illusion, professor?¡±


    ¡°No, because l¡¯m already old.¡±


    ¡°Hoo ¡­.¡± The whole crowd of students yfully booed herment. ¡°Pretending to be old is shameful!¡± A bold student even jokingly asked, ¡°Professor, I don¡¯t mind that you¡¯re old, so can i date you?¡±


    Amber smiled as she nimbly shot back. ¡°A date in theb as my test subject?¡±


    The student who had just asked her about dating quickly recanted with a serious expression on his face. ¡°Love between students and faculty isn¡¯t permitted. Professor, I¡¯ll do my best to work on my self restraint.¡±


    Everyoneughed, including Amber. ¡°How regretful.¡±


    The ssroom once again filled withughter. The bell rang not too longter, signaling that it was time for the students to file out of ss. While saying goodbye to her students, Amber packed up her books and teaching materials. But just as she was about to leave, she noticed a male student that was resting his head on his desk, sound asleep.


    She walked over to him and quickly prodded him awake. The male student rubbed the sleep from his eyes and looked at her.


    ¡°Do you want some candy?¡± asked Amber as she extended her hand, a colorfully wrapped sweet resting on her palm. ¡°I¡¯m sorry that my ss made you feel so bored.¡±


    The student looked at her in a daze, as if she were a monster.


    Amber smiled, left the sweet on his desk and stepped out of the ssroom.


    While walking, she received a call.


    ¡°Amber, where are you?¡±


    The phone call was from Amber¡¯s own professor, Madam Nancy. She was both Amber¡¯s doctoral advisor and a national authority on psychiatry. After retiring, she felt restless about doing nothing and subsequently opened up her own office andb.


    ¡°I just finished teaching.¡±


    ¡°Good. Come to my office.¡±


    Amber left her things in her office and immediately headed over. Madam Nancy¡¯s office was right next to her home and its surroundings were the definition of natural beauty. By her office was ake, and by thekeside was a flock of pigeons. The surroundings were filled with vibrant shrubs and blossoms and even more unusually, the water itself was clear and limpid. It was truly a rxing ce to be.


    The only problem was that it was a bit far from the school and the evening rush hour only exacerbated the long drive. By the time Amber arrived, it was alreadyte enough that the early winter¡¯s dusk was only being held at bay by the surrounding lights.


    She pushed the door open and entered, bringing wisps of the winter cold in with her. Madam Nancy¡¯s hair was streaked with gray and her gold rimmed sses gave her a ssic schrly air. She was sitting on the sofa in front of her desk, talking with the young man sitting beside her.


    Upon hearing Amber enter, both people looked over at Amber. Madam Nancy smiled at her. ¡°You¡¯re here already? It¡¯s cold outside, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Amber cheerily replied, ¡°It¡¯s fine, just a little windy.¡±


    The two made small talk as Madam Nancy motioned for Amber to sit by her side. She pointed at the young man and introduced the two, saying, ¡°This is the CEO of Axton Group, Ian Axton or Director Ian.¡±


    And to Ian, she said, ¡°This is the young, pretty and creative Dr. Amber Camille that I¡¯ve been telling you so much about.¡±


    Amber knew of Axton Group, arge drug manufacturer. Many of Madam Nancy¡¯s projects were supported by thepany.


    She just hadn¡¯t expected their CEO to be so young. He was a rtively handsome man and probably not even thirty yet.


    However, Amber¡¯s first impression of Ian was not only that he was young and handsome, but also cold and aloof. When their gazes met, it was as if she were but a speck of dust in his eyes.


    Having seen all sorts of patients, Amber was very tolerant towards people with slightly unusual behavior and didn¡¯t mind his demeanor that much. Since her teacher had introduced her, she smiled and greeted, ¡°Nice to meet you.¡±


    But Ian kept staring at her, his forehead slowly creasing. ¡°You only have one dimple?¡±


    Amber slightly baffled, automatically replied, ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°How ugly!¡±


    This unexpected evaluation left Amber speechless. Nancy also looked on nkly for a moment beforeughing heartily. ¡°Your students would probably cry if they ever heard that someone evaluated a professor renowned for her beauty as ugly, haha.¡±


    Sheughed so happily that Amber felt a bit exasperated and she said to Ian. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for disgusting you with my ugliness. Do you want me to cover up that side of my face?¡±


    This sparked another bout ofughter from Nancy, but it was as if Ian couldn¡¯t sense the humor in her tone. He expressionlessly looked down at his watch. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

 Chapter 2. OH, IT’S A DATE

    ¡°Your grandparents aren¡¯t here yet.¡± Nancy wiped the tears ofughter off of her face.


    ¡°They¡¯rete. Do we need to wait for them?¡± Ian responded indifferently, his voice detached.


    Amber had some more time to look at him now. Ian was indeed expressionless, his handsome face as apathetic as still water.


    She raised her eyebrows slightly upon seeing that Nancy was blinking rapidly at her. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Where?¡±? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    ¡°To get food with us.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Amber helped her teacher up and then followed along somewhat confusedly.


    ***


    Ian¡¯s grandparents never showed up, so it was only the three of them at the dining table. Ian was reticent and it was mainly Amber and Nancy doing the talking during the meal.


    But just as the waiter served thest fruit tter, he did say something. ¡°Remove it!¡±


    The waiter hesitated, Amber and Nancy stopped talking.


    Ian pointed at the tter a little impatiently. ¡°What are you thinking, ting the fruit in such an ugly fashion?¡±


    The waiter, Nancy and Amber all looked at the tter. Quite honestly, the fruit tter was ted beautifully, with care and precision. The tter consisted of half a honeydew carved into the shape of a flower, which was then filled with a variety of vibrant fruits, it was a natural piece of art.


    But Amber quickly noticed that on that tter was a lopsided cherry tomato, the likely reason for Ian¡¯s distaste. As expected, this person has a very serious form of OCD.


    Nancy did not seem to find his behavior unusual and waved at the waiter with a smile. ¡°Take it away, will you?¡± And, as if nothing had happened, she turned to Amber. ¡°Keep talking about that patient from just now.¡±


    Amber continued exining, ¡°Her family invited a spirit medium to purge all the ghosts from their house, iming that she must have been possessed. During the ritual, the girl was badly scared and in her panic, identally killed her grandmother. When I saw her during my daily rotations, her condition had already reached a very severe state. She firmly believed that someone had cut her head off and that she was a headless corpse.¡±


    Amber was talking about one of the patients currently in her care, one with a serious case of Cotard¡¯s syndrome, colloquially known as the walking corpse syndrome.


    Nancy responded, ¡°This is truly a ssic case of Cotard¡¯s syndrome. It¡¯s a very rare illness in this country. How do you n on tackling it?¡±


    But before Amber could respond, Nancy¡¯s phone rang. Amber heard her say a few words into the phone, before saying to the group, ¡°Something urgent came up at the office, I have to go.¡±


    Amber stood up. ¡°Let me walk you outside.¡±


    As a doctor, there were always sudden, unexpected situations, especially in the psychiatry department when patients illnesses red up, most people wouldn¡¯t be able to handle them. Amber wasn¡¯t bothered by Nancy¡¯s sudden departure, only thinking about how she might be able to help out.


    But Nancy stopped her. ¡°It¡¯s fine, my assistant ising to fetch me and there are enough people on the scene already. You should stay here and enjoy a nice meal with Director Ian.¡± She then looked over at Ian. ¡°You¡¯ll help me take care of Amber, won¡¯t you?¡±


    Ian, indifferent as usual, replied, ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡±


    Nancy smiled and patted Amber¡¯s hand. Before long, Nancy¡¯s assistant had arrived and Amber was walking Nancy to the door. By the time she returned, Ian had already put down his chopsticks. ¡°Are you full?¡±


    Ian nodded.


    Amber retrieved her jacket that was draped on a nearby chair. ¡°Then, let¡¯s go as well.¡±


    She kept thinking about what Nancy had mentioned. In general, patients that could rm even her teacher were quite remarkable and she very much wanted to observe her teacher in action.


    However, Ian didn¡¯t move. His distant gaze, as if covered in a thinyer of frost,nded on her face.


    ¡°It seems that you¡¯re really quite unaware.¡± He sneered. ¡°Did you think that your teacher really had an emergency? Or why my grandparents said that they woulde, but never showed up?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Their actions were all premeditated.¡±


    ¡°Premeditated?¡±


    Ian looked at her and couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°How on earth did you be a psychiatrist? This is a blind date in disguise. Could you really not tell?¡±


    Amber was at a loss for words. She coughed violently to break the awkwardness. ¡°Hem, I didn¡¯t know.¡± She had thought that the reason behind her teacher introducing Ian to her was for something important, like helping her raise funds for a grant she was writing.


    Ian¡¯s face remained expressionless and Amber felt a bit embarrassed. ¡°Sorry, I really didn¡¯t notice Professor Nancy¡¯s n.¡±


    Nancy had been single her entire life so Amber had never imagined that she would try to be a matchmaker for her.


    Ian snorted lightly. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±


    His knuckles rapped on the table as he continued, ¡°You still haven¡¯t mentioned how you nned to deal with that patient of yours.¡±


    It seemed like he had really taken an interest in the subject. Amber thought for a bit, sat down again and started outlining her rough n. ¡°Patients suffering from Cotard¡¯s syndrome generally find social interaction difficult, but can often be savants in their personal areas of interest. I¡¯d like to have her start doing personally interesting activities. That way, she can immerse herself in her fantasies and I can slowly help her ept reality using her fantasies as a medium.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d have imagined that you would start by restraining her or locking her up.¡±


    ¡°Unless it¡¯s absolutely necessary, I don¡¯t support severely restricting patients in general.¡±


    ¡°How confident are you of curing her?¡±


    ¡°Doctors can only be fully confident in patients who firmly aim to get better.¡±


    Ian remained silent for a while, before finally asking her, ¡°Would you sleep with one of your patients?¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± Amber didn¡¯t understand.


    Ian¡¯s tone was as tepid as if he were discussing the weather. ¡°What if you identally got into bed with your patients?¡±

 Chapter 3. MY PARTNER

    ¡°That¡¯s impossible.¡± Amberughed.


    ¡°But what if it happened?¡± Ian was unexpectedly insistent on this point and looked at her intently. ¡°Would you continue treating him?¡±


    Amber was unable to follow his logic and was still confused at how the subject had suddenly changed from a patient suffering from Cotard¡¯s syndrome to a patient getting into bed with their doctor. But she could see what kind of answer Ian wanted, so she responded, ¡°No.¡±


    Ianughed lightly. This was the first time Amber had ever seen himugh. His lips curved slightly up and his eyes were without any sense of warmth, but his mien had an unexpectedly handsome coolness.


    After that, Amber ate dinner patiently. Ian¡¯s behavior seemed simr to that of a robot with a pre-programmed routine, he wouldn¡¯t do anything else before finishing a given task.


    For example, with regards to this blind date that seemed unfathomable to Amber, Ian instead seemed determined to check all the boxes. Once the duo left the restaurant, Ian said, ¡°Next in the schedule is watching a movie, taking a walk or drinking at a bar. Which do you want to do?¡±


    His businesslike tone left Amber¡¯s lips twitching. ¡°Hmm, can i skip all of those activities?¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s go drinking.¡± His matter of fact tone had already made the decision for her.


    Snapping his fingers, Ian signalled an approaching taxi to stop. He pulled the door open, waiting for Amber to get in. This series of actions was really quite smooth, Amber noted silently.


    She hesitated for only a few seconds before getting into the car. Reflecting upon itter, Amber dismissed her actions as the upational habit of a doctor, Ian¡¯s actions dripped with oddities and such oddities boasted a near instinctual attraction for psychiatrists.


    Despite saying that they were going to a bar to drink, Ian instead brought Amber to La Marquesina, a famous local nightclub. He was on his phone inviting people all throughout the drive, so by the time they arrived, the private room was already filled to the brim.


    Upon seeing their arrival, those people all stood up and greeted Ian. Some called him Director Axton, some as Chief and some, like Nancy simply as Ian. But without exception, everyone noticed Amber, who was standing behind Ian. Someone who seemed to be on very good terms with Ian even directly asked, ¡°Who¡¯s this youngss?¡±


    ¡°My partner.¡±


    The room fell quiet and Amber almost tripped over her own feet. She stumbled, only regaining her bnce after grabbing Ian¡¯s sleeves.


    Her fingers even identally brushed over his hand and the warmth of his skin caused her heart to skip a beat. As she lifted her head, she saw that everyone¡¯s gaze was focused on her hand, which was still holding on to Ian¡¯s sleeve. Her fingers were fair and delicate, but who knew whether the germophobic Mr. Axton would suddenly be infuriated and cut her hand off.


    Somewhat difited by all the attention, Amber silently withdrew her hand, patted Ian¡¯s sleeves down and pretended that nothing had happened. ¡°Mr. Axton¡¯s just joking. My name¡¯s Amber and I¡¯m a doctor.¡±


    Ian didn¡¯t refute her, merely looking at her once before taking his jacket off.


    The room was a little warm. Meanwhile, Amber tried to convince herself that Ian¡¯s behavior wasn¡¯t because he resented her for wrinkling his sleeve.


    But the truth was that he did, because he immediately threw the jacket at her. ¡°Return it to me after you¡¯ve washed it.¡±


    Amber was left speechless once again. Was this a form of selective germophobia? Where he can have lunch outside, but not bear someone else¡¯s touch?


    Ian turned and walked away as Amber was busy diagnosing Ian in her mind. The man who had just asked her who she was smiled at her. ¡°Hi, Doctor, I¡¯m Ansell Walton, one of Ian¡¯s friends.¡±


    Amber nodded at him. ¡°Nice to meet you.¡±


    ¡°Sit here.¡± The man called Ansell led Amber over to a seat, directly next to Ian. Amber made sure to stay as far away from him as possible this time.


    The atmosphere in the private room quickly grew rowdy again, the young men and women clumping together as they sang karaoke. Next to Amber, Ansell asked Ian. ¡°Ian, what do you want to y tonight?¡±


    Ian lounged on the sofa as he looked at the singing people with a supercilious look on his face. He pointed at ber and said, ¡°Whatever, as long as you take care of her.¡±


    Ansell smiled. ¡°Are you trying to let your partner see what your world¡¯s like?¡±


    Ian reiterated, ¡°Anything¡¯s fine.¡±


    Ansell still smiling, then turned to look at Amber ¡°What do you want to y, Doctor?¡±


    Amber actually didn¡¯t want to y anything. She didn¡¯t enjoy partying and almost never thought of drinking, going to bars or singing karaoke. But since she was already here, when Ansell asked her, she also replied, ¡°Anything¡¯s fine.¡±


    Her answer was really quite careless and was something she would regret countless times in the future. But she had no choice, that was the unfortunate answer she had given.


    And so Ansell called a bunch of people over to y a simple game of guessing dice with her. To Amber this wasn¡¯t anything challenging, but the key point was that she hadn¡¯t yed before.


    This meant that before she could fully grasp the trick behind the game, she had lost and was subsequently forced to drink some alcohol. The alcohol consisted of a vibrant liquid in a beautiful ss cup, on top of which faint mes were dancing. Before this, Amber had never drunk any liquor but beer, being both a studious and obedient girl.


    She didn¡¯t know how strong this alcoholic drink was and she didn¡¯t think much of it upon seeing its beautiful appearance and so she downed it in one gulp.


    Then, she copsed.


    An almost instantaneous copse, right as she finished the alcohol.Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    Thest thing she remembered was the man called Ansell eximing beside her, ¡°Damn! Is her tolerance that low?¡±

 Chapter 4. ONE NIGHT STAND

    When she awoke, Amber found herself lying in a strange ce, with a strange man sleeping by her side.


    The man¡¯s back was facing her. From her angle, all she could see was his smoothly cut short hair and his slender back. Yes, the man was naked at least, his upper body was.


    Amber looked down at herself. Very good, she was almost naked too. A thin undershirt on her upper body and underwear covering her lower body. She could see the rest of her clothes flung recklessly about the room. The jeans she had worn yesterday were lying haphazardly on the tatami mat by the window, as if publicizing the roughness or rather, the raw desire of the person who had taken them off.


    The curtains weren¡¯tpletely shut, a ray of light was shining through a small crack.


    She sat up, rubbing her swollen forehead. The man woke up almost as she moved. As he turned around, he revealed a youthful face, quite handsome, with robust facial features, a piercing gaze and a cool, indifferent mien.


    It wasn¡¯t quite appropriate to call him a stranger. At the very least, they had met yesterday.


    To sleep together right after meeting ¡­ Amber rubbed her forehead.


    ¡°You¡¯re awake?¡± Ian¡¯s expression remained as insouciant as ever, his gaze roaming over her body that was currently covered by a nket. ¡°You climbed into my bed yourselfst night.¡±


    Amber¡¯s lips twitched as she replied, ¡°I climbed into your bed?¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡± The man did not seem able to bear her asymmetrically dimpled face. After resting his head on his hands and making that one sound, he offered no further exnation.


    She looked at him, somewhat expressionlessly, but her inner self was close to falling apart after all, she couldn¡¯t rememberst night and had absolutely no impression of climbing into his bed like he said! Of course, this wasn¡¯t strictly true at the very least, she remembered that her curiosity had caused her to follow Ian into La Marquesina, y a game with the crowd there and then be forced to drink a colorful ss of alcohol as a penalty.


    And after that? No clue.


    But even while knowing nothing, she strongly suspected the veracity of Ian¡¯s words.


    Now, however, wasn¡¯t the time to probe for the truth, as they were half naked and lying in bed, anything they said would feel somewhat strange. She averted her gaze, bent over to pick up her coat lying beneath the bed, covered herself up with a nket, quickly put the coat on and then got out of bed.


    Wrapping her coat tightly about herself, Amber industriously pretended that nothing unusual had happened. She picked up the rest of her clothes and entered the bathroom. During this whole ordeal, Ian had justin in bed quietly, eyes closed.


    Only when she was about to enter the bathroom did the man behind her speak. ¡°Do you want to go again after you¡¯ve cleaned yourself?¡± His tone wasn¡¯t inviting and was still that same casual tone that one would use to discuss the weather. ¡°I¡¯ve got great technique. Perhaps you didn¡¯t feel itst night, as drunk as you were.¡±


    Amber almost tripped over her feet again and her response was a quick ¡°Bang!¡± from mming the bathroom door shut.


    When Amber got out, Ian had shifted to a different pose. He was now lying on his side and facing the bathroom directly.


    ¡°Already dressed?¡± he asked indifferently. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to consider my earlier proposition?¡±


    This was perhaps the strangest invitation that Amber had ever heard, because his tone was so indifferent that it made her want to smack him.


    After a moment¡¯s pause, Amber turned sharply on her heels, walked to the side of the bed and leaned over slightly to look at him.


    He impassively looked back at her, his gaze dark like the ocean waves in the eye of the storm, deep and profound, cool and resolute.


    Ian¡¯s appearance was really quitepelling, at the very least, Amber had never seen anyone who looked better than he did. Of course, perhaps it was his aloof nature that made Amber feel that way.


    She extended her hand, her fingertip lightly touching his lips. ¡°Are you serious?¡±


    The alcohol had left her voice with a note of hoarseness, unexpectedly adding a dash of sexuality.


    Ian¡¯s face remained expressionless, but Amber saw goosebumps rapidly climb up his neck.Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    Amberughed. In the bathroom, she had seen the many bruises on her body, including an especiallyrge one on her thigh. For a couple minutes, she had really thought that she had experienced a wild night with Ian. But seeing his reaction now, she could silently breathe a sigh of relief.


    Given his germophobic nature that wouldn¡¯t allow anyone to even touch him, how could he let a stranger like her climb into his bed?


    She didn¡¯t want to expose him. Although she didn¡¯t know what his intentions were, it was clear that he didn¡¯t want to have a regr doctor-patient rtionship with her and needed such a veneer to cover up their rtionship. Amber would reluctantly amodate his whims, as long as she didn¡¯t suffer any losses from doing so.


    But some retaliation was surely necessary. Just as Ian was reaching the limits of his endurance, Amber let him off the hook. She turned around to pick up her handbag from the floor, took out her wallet and asked, without raising her head, ¡°How much money do I owe you?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Amber turned around andughed. With her one sided dimple half showing, her visage was unexpectedly beautiful.


    ¡°Thanks for your ¡®patronage¡¯st night. What I mean is, including the taxi fee and lodgings, how much do I owe you?¡±


    Ian finally understood. ¡°You¡¯re treating me like a prostitute?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that.¡± Of course, whatever he thought was up to him.


    Amber took out all the cash from her wallet that she had just withdrawn yesterday and left it on the table, 300 dor in total. ¡°If this isn¡¯t enough, you can call me.¡± She lowered her head, wrote her phone number down on the message pad on the table and summarily turned around to leave.


    ¡°Hey!¡± The man called after her. He kicked off the nkets, revealing a fair and slender chest, coupled with faintly showing abs.


    Amber stopped, her gazending by the bedsheets next to his feet.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think that this is rather cold of you?¡± he spoke in a robotic tone. Even as he looked at her, it was as if he were reciting lines from a script. ¡°At the very least, we were a couple for a single night.¡±

 Chapter 5. WOULD YOU GET IN BED WITH YOUR PATIENTS

    Amber almost wanted tough, as a way of letting him know that he shouldn¡¯t try to pick up girls if he didn¡¯t have the skill for it, as doing so made his actions seem ludicrous. Sighing, she said, ¡°Mr. Axton, perhaps you¡¯ve forgotten that I¡¯m a doctor.¡±


    He paused. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Meaning, I can examine my body to understand what I¡¯ve experienced.¡±


    This was nonsense, if she were to base her judgment solely on how her body felt and the state of her bruises, she was hardly able to make such an analysis. However, she didn¡¯t want to reveal that her judgment was solely based on her psychiatrist¡¯s instinct.


    Ian, however, didn¡¯t seem to have thought of this and was now ring at her somewhat unrepentantly.Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    Amber was worried that he would rashly grab her and actually force her into bed with him, but luckily he made no further abnormal movements.


    ***


    After leaving the room, Amber let out a deep breath that she had been holding onto for a while. She walked calmly out of the hotel and after she exited, she found an isted corner where she could bang her head against the wall in private.


    Why on earth was her alcohol tolerance so poor?!


    And what in the world was that fellow trying to do, pretending that they had had a one night stand after she got drunk? She couldn¡¯t ept such a cliched plotline that sounded like it came straight out of some vulgar novel!


    After spending a significant amount of time shoring up her mental state, she finally calmed down enough to take her phone out of her handbag. She had a few missed calls, some from her parents, some from her elder brother and some from her teacher, Nancy.


    Amber called each of them in turn to assure her family members that she was alright before finally calling Nancy, who asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t you go homest night?¡±


    ¡°No, something came up, so I didn¡¯t go back home. Were you looking for me for some reasonst night, Professor?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s just that your parents called me after they couldn¡¯t reach you. Right, what did you think of Ian Axton?¡±


    Was she actually trying to y matchmaker? Amber couldn¡¯t believe that Nancy would have time for such an inane thing.


    ¡°Emotional detachment, that Mr. Axton has a physiological inability to feel emotions, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, an urate diagnosis.¡± Amber smiled with praise.


    Amber was momentarily stunned. ¡°He¡¯s really suffering from that?¡± She had made that diagnosis up. Recently, she had looked at some medical case studies of patients who had an inability to feel emotions, during her interactions with Ian, she had noticed that he seemed to exhibit some of those symptoms and had proposed it on a whim as an oundish hypothesis.


    ¡°Yes, really. But his situation is a bit special. With regards to how, you¡¯ll just have to find out after you interact more with him. I won¡¯t tell you now so as not to impair your professional judgment.¡±


    Amber remained silent. and her teacher continued, ¡°His entire family didn¡¯t realize that this was an illness until now, mainly because Ian still doesn¡¯t have a partner even though he¡¯s already thirty. His grandparents found me and hoped that i could find a solution to their problems. Amber, Axton Group is a major partner and sponsor of myboratory and Ian Axton is like a dear child to me. Since we¡¯re so familiar with each other, I¡¯m unable to have a proper doctor-patient rtionship with him. Thus, I¡¯m hoping that you can help me in this regard.¡±


    ***


    Since it was November, the weather was very cold. Even though Amber had a thickyer of clothing on, she was still sneezing fiercely.


    Even though she was clutching her arms and shivering, goosebumps were all over her body as she called a taxi and got into it. The driver noticed her plight from his rearview mirror and asked if he should turn the heater on for her.


    Amber nodded. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    She couldn¡¯t help but nce back. The words ¡°Axton Grand Hotel¡± shone clearly in the morning light.


    She finally recognized where she was, far from La Marquesina, the nightclub where she had been partyingst night and farther still from her home.


    She rarely ever came to this area, so despite being a local, she found the surroundings unfamiliar.


    ¡°Please make the next left turn and go to La Marquesina.¡± After finally seeing a familiarndmark, Amber gave some instructions to the taxi driver.


    ¡°At this time?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The driver looked at her with a funny expression, then smiled and asked, ¡°Do you work there?¡±


    Amber, stone faced, replied, ¡°No.¡±


    The driver chuckled, decided not to say anything else and turned left ahead.


    Amber took out her phone and googled ¡®Axton.¡¯ Only one piece of news mentioned Ian Axton and even that was a year old. All it said was that Axton Group was to be passed down from father to son with Ian Axton taking over and bing its new CEO.


    The rest of the many news articles dealt almost exclusively with Axton¡¯s corporate expansion n. Amber didn¡¯t read these articles, as she was not interested in such matters.


    It was indeed quite early. They reached La Marquesina right around 9 AM, but the doors were already open and a worker was cleaning the floors. Amber walked in and found the manager. ¡°I left my handbag herest night. Could you let me check the security cameras?¡±


    The manager was on guard towards her request and perfunctorily replied, ¡°Which room were you in? I apologize, but under normal circumstances, we¡¯re not allowed to let customers look through the security footage.¡±


    Amber reported the room number. ¡°I¡¯m not interested in anything else except for the footage near the exit. My handbag has some very important information that I need to reim, so could you please help me out?¡±


    The manager thought for a while before replying, ¡°Would it be fine if you stated the approximate time at which you lost your bag? That way, we can review the security footage for you.¡±


    No matter what Amber said, the manager seemed reluctant to agree and he was even starting to suspect her true motives. Exasperated and helpless, she suddenly thought of name-dropping Ian. ¡°Do I need to have Mr. Axton talk to you, then?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Axton?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Ian Axton. My missing handbag has his documents inside.¡±


    The manager looked at her suspiciously before finally giving in. ¡°Please wait here.¡± He turned and went into the office, most likely to talk to his boss. After a while, he returned and brought Amber in to look at the security footage.


    The footage had no audio. At 11:18 PM, she saw  Ian¡¯s driver lift her out of the private room. Ian walked by his driver¡¯s side and the three of them left directly by car.


    Throughout the whole process, no other people entered or exited the room.


    11:18 PM it shouldn¡¯t have been more than half an hour since Amber had first entered the room. Additionally, the time she had been drunk was far shorter. Within that period of time, then nothing much could have happened.


    So, Amber was quite certain that,st night, not long after she had gotten drunk, Ian had brought her away to Axton Hotel.


    As for his motives ¡­ she suddenly remembered a question that Ian had asked her. ¡°Would you get in bed with your patients?¡±


    Then, she had replied ¡®no.¡¯ As she remembered this, Amberughed softly.

 Chapter 6. REUNION

    After leaving La Marquesina, Amber returned home, took a bath and changed her clothes. After refreshing herself, she arrived at the hospital at 11 AM sharp. She had a lunch meeting and then for the rest of the afternoon, was on duty at the psychiatry division.


    Nancy had sent her a few documents rted to Ian. Nancy flipped through them briefly and found that the recorded information was quite straightforward, the Axton household was a family of merchants and businessmen, rich and affluent. Their family tree was simple, Ian¡¯s father was an only son and Ian¡¯s mother had died in his youth due to an ident. Thus, the Axton household, beyond Ian himself and his grandparents, consisted solely of his father and his younger brother Daren Axton.


    Ian¡¯s life was no different from that of an ordinary nouveau riche, whether in terms of his birth, education and grades, nothing was particrly prominent, good or bad.


    He had left the country at eighteen before returning to Axton Group at twenty four to take charge of a project to build the country¡¯s first aquatic sci-fi themed hotel, the Axton Grand Hotel. And finally, he formally took over at Axton Group at thirty years old.


    The Axton family did not have a history of mental illness and the reason for and when Ian had been stricken by illness were both unclear. ording to his family, Ian had been introverted from youth, but had disyed no unusual symptoms beyond being somewhat indifferent to others.


    Even when Nancy had met him for the first time, she didn¡¯t think that he was suffering from emotional detachment, only that his disposition was unusually calm.


    Amber could empathize with her teacher¡¯s ¡®misdiagnosis.¡¯ Many people in the modern world suffered from emotional detachment, only to varying degrees. From Ian¡¯s behavior, Amber guessed that he already knew that he was suffering from such an illness and that it was also the real reason why Nancy had introduced her to him. Had he been pretending to treat their introduction as a blind date and then brought her to La Marquesina to embarrass her and force her retreat voluntarily?


    Mm, he was a surprisingly logical patient, but his methods were overly simple and rough. Given his upbringing and decisiveness as a businessman, such a series of actions didn¡¯t seem to suit his personality or habits. So, there must have been another reason why he would deliberately stage a one night stand besides not wanting treatment from her.


    Amber was unable to even guess at what Ian¡¯s other goals might be. She knew far too little about him, even after she had carefully perused the patient file that Nancy had sent her again.


    She decided to let it be for now, disregarding the issue of whether Ian¡¯s actions were premeditated or a result of his illness. She had no way of knowing that her next meeting with him woulde so quickly.


    ***


    On Saturday, Amber¡¯s high school ssmate, Trysta, got married.


    Amber had studied medicine all the way up from the postgraduate level. Most of her ssmates had long since gotten married and had children, and even dying marriage till Trysta¡¯s age was already consideredte. As for Amber herself ¡­ ording to a ssmate of hers, she was destined to be a model example of someone who marriedte and had children eventer.


    This was because she had never expressed any interest in falling in love or finding a man.


    Trysta¡¯s wedding was at the city¡¯s most luxurious double five star hotel. By the time Amber arrived, the wedding was just about to begin, with Trysta and her bridegroom standing at the door to wee guests.


    Amber smiled and walked forward, hugging her. ¡°Congrattions on your marriage and may itst for a hundred years.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Trysta smiled, gaze sweeping over her face as she terselymented, ¡°You¡¯rete.¡±


    ¡°A few things dyed me, but I¡¯m not toote, right?¡± Amber said that as she turned toward the bridegroom. ¡°Congrattions.¡±


    Trysta¡¯s bridegroom¡¯s surname was Yuval, reportedly also the son of somepany¡¯s CEO and naturally a member of an affluent household. But Trysta herself was also outstanding with a good pedigree, good looks and good personal ability. The two were well matched in all respects.


    The bridegroom, Frank Yuval, was very polite. He smiled and thanked her. ¡°Thank you for keeping Tatapany. It¡¯s really helped abate her recent anxiety.¡±


    Trysta had a slight phobia against marriage and Amber and a few other ssmates had kept herpany during a few rough times.


    Amber smiled, but Trysta clearly didn¡¯t like his mentioning this matter and she poutinglyined, ¡°Why would I worry? Should I be afraid that you won¡¯t treat me well?¡±


    Hearing this, the bridegroom responded somewhat begrudgingly, ¡°Who else would I treat well except for you?¡±


    Trysta poked him bashfully as her face radiated happiness and then grabbed Amber¡¯s hand. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Sign in at the guestbook and then go upstairs. Silvia and the others are all waiting for you.¡±


    Silvia¡¯s full name was Silvia Smith. She was another one of Amber¡¯s high school ssmates and she was the one who¡¯d said that Amber would be a model example of marryingte and having children eventer.


    Amber signed in and went upstairs, expecting to receive a warm hug from Silvia. But when she found her ssmates¡¯ table, no one, Silvia included, paid any attention to her.? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    Even Amber herself, when she saw the man sitting at the other end of the table, was slightly taken aback.


    A male ssmate noticed her first and subsequently waved at her. ¡°Ah, Amber¡¯s here.¡±


    He motioned toward a seat by his side. ¡°Sit here with us. We left a seat open just for you.¡±


    The others at the table turned around, looking at her. Normally, they acted likescivious wolves, but on this asion, they were reserved and smiling. ¡°You¡¯re here, Amber?¡±


    Silvia hissed at her, ¡°Come join us instead. That¡¯s a den of wolves, don¡¯t go there.¡±


    She hollered to the people at her table and finally cleared out a seat next to her for Amber. Amber had just sat down when she heard a mellow, gentle voice call out, ¡°Long time no see, Amber.¡±

 Chapter 7. MALE IDOL

    ¡°Long time no see.¡±


    Amber¡¯s heart thumped. She sucked in a slight breath and looked directly at him.


    ¡°Do you still remember me?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°Calvin makes it sound as if Amber¡¯s memory is quite poor, despite her being one of the top students in our ss. She scored full marks on history and geography just by studying casually!¡±


    ¡°Calvin¡¯s a top student himself. Remember when they were hailed as the peerless duo?¡±


    Amber was struck speechless upon hearing thesements. ¡°Was there anyone in our ss who wasn¡¯t good at studying?¡±


    ¡°Not half as good as you!¡±


    Everyone began reminiscing about old times. Amber didn¡¯t join in and instead pulled at Silvia¡¯s hand to get her attention. ¡°Why are you all acting like this today?¡±


    She was quite unsettled by how well behaved everyone was acting.


    Silvia looked at Amber, her face clearly indicating that she¡¯d remain single for the rest of her life if she remained this clueless. ¡°My male idol is here, how long has it been since Ist saw him? I have to leave him with a good impression.¡±


    Soon, Amber received a text. She looked at her phone and found that it was from Silvia, who was ¡­ sitting next to her. ¡°This is something that only happens in dramas, right? Having a reunion with my crush after a long period of separation, followed by us discovering a zing passion for each other and ultimately reconciling, right?¡±


    Amber ducked her head. Silvia covered her face with a teacup, smiling at her devilishly.


    Amber coughed lightly when she heard someone ask, ¡°Calvin, were you abroad all these years?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°All this time? Were you studying over there?¡±


    ¡°No, I studied for a few years and then worked for a few years after that.¡±


    ¡°Oh, work, huh? What business? Given your capabilities, definitely a Fortunepany.¡±


    Calvin smiling, replied, ¡°Unfortunately not. But before I returned, I quit my job.¡±


    ¡°Quit ¡­ you¡¯re not nning on returning?¡±


    ¡°No. My mom¡¯s health is deteriorating and I need to stay here to take good care of her.¡±


    Upon hearing this exchange, Amber smiled. At this point, Calvin suddenly looked toward her, asking, ¡°I heard that you¡¯re now Dr. Amber Camille?¡±


    Amber nodded.


    ¡°Wonderful, you really did manage to fulfill your dreams.¡±


    Amber¡¯s eyshes trembled as she recalled the past. He had once asked her, ¡°Amber, what are your dreams?¡±


    ¡°To be a doctor.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because of my grandma.¡± Amber¡¯s parents operated a diner and workedte hours, so Amber and her elder brother had been brought up by their grandmother. Amber¡¯s grandmother was a ssic housewife, she kind, gentle and maidenly. However, she had led an unlucky life by marrying a man as cantankerous and bad tempered as her grandfather.


    While she was in middle school, her grandmother had gone mad from the oppressive, long term mental strain. From then on, Amber¡¯s dreams were to be a doctor and in particr, a psychiatrist.


    Calvin was very envious of her clear answer. His high school life had been very difficult, their third year in particr. During that period of time, he would constantly ask her, ¡°What¡¯s the purpose of studying so hard? What can we do even if we get into a good university?¡±


    He used to be d in gloom and despair.


    ***


    Now, he probably wouldn¡¯t ask the same type of question. Amber didn¡¯t know how to answer his question either. Luckily, there were other ssmates around ready to interject themselves into the conversation. ¡°Right, Calvin if your mother¡¯s not doing too well, you should talk to Amber! She works at Presbiterian Hospital and helping you expedite her treatment shouldn¡¯t be too inconvenient for her.¡±


    Presbiterian was one of the best hospitals in the south and it was famed for how difficult it was to have an appointment there.


    Calvin asked, ¡°Would you be willing to do that?¡±


    Given her ssmates¡¯ reassurances, Amber could only reply, ¡°Ah, it¡¯s not a problem, but I work in the psychiatry department and don¡¯t really know any other people from the other departments. So, I¡¯m not sure how much help I can be.¡±Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    Her ssmates, again reiterated, ¡°It can¡¯t be worse than we outsiders trying to help, right?¡±


    Amber remained silent. The topic quickly fizzled out, because the wedding had begun in earnest. The marriage officiant stood on stage, dressed entirely in white. As the wedding march started to y, Trysta¡¯s father slowly walked her down the aisle.


    Everyone took out their phones to take pictures, even Amber. When sheter looked over the photos she had taken, she couldn¡¯t help but notice that Calvin was in all of them.


    At that point, he had been looking at the stage, so only half his face appeared in the photos. Her photography skills were terrible, but in one photo she had managed to capture his aesthetic. His face was particrly clear, slender and neat, with an arched nose and a head tilted slightly upwards, his aura was not one of breathtaking beauty, but rather of his own refined charm. She had always thought that Calvin had a schrly air about him.


    Silvia turned around, having shot enough pictures and Amber quickly turned her phone off. Silvia held up hers and smiled at Amber. ¡°Look, I secretly took so many photos of my male idol. Handsome, isn¡¯t he?¡±


    Amber smiled. ¡°Quite handsome indeed.¡±


    A nearby female ssmate overheard their conversation and also turned around. ¡°Where, where?¡±


    The two females gathered together to look at their crushes, chatting the whole time, right until the bride was about to toss her bouquet into the air.


    Before Trysta threw her bouquet, she called her single ssmates to the front, her crisp and melodious voice emitting from a microphone, ¡°Good luck, sisters. Snatch my bouquet and quickly get married yourselves, it¡¯ll be hard to find bridesmaids if you keep holding out.¡±


    Everyoneughed, including Amber. Trysta stood on her tiptoes and suddenly threw her bouquet into the air.


    The girls squeezed together to try to catch the bouquet, pushing Amber aside. In the mayhem, she stepped on something, throwing her body off bnce.


    ¡°Be careful.¡± A pair of steady, strong arms caught her.


    Amber turned around and saw that Calvin was standing only a few steps behind her, the backs of his hands supporting her back.


    She suddenly recalled the fitness checkups from her school days. Her health hadn¡¯t been so good then and she would get dizzy whenever she had to have her blood drawn, so he had always stood at her back. Whenever she turned around, she would see him.


    Till now, Amber still kept the note he had given her in her bookshelf. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. I¡¯ll always be with you.¡±


    But, in truth he wasn¡¯t. After graduating, he had gone abroad without even leaving her a single message.


    Amber took a few steps back and was about to thank him when a girl caught the bride¡¯s bouquet. None of her single ssmates had been able to snatch it and funnily enough, the bouquet hadnded in thep of a girl who hadn¡¯t wanted to catch it at all.


    Everyone sat back down. Silvia sighed dejectedly and said, ¡°It looks like we won¡¯t be able to get married. What should we do?¡± She leaned against Amber¡¯s shoulders, pretending to cry, but her gaze was always directed at Calvin. ¡°My male idol, do you have a girlfriend yet?¡±

 Chapter 8. YOUR CONDOMS

    Amber couldn¡¯t help but be impressed by how persistent Silvia was in her efforts to snatch him up. However, she too pricked her ears up at her question.


    And then she heard Calvin reply, ¡°No.¡±


    Silvia rubbed her palms together as she eximed, ¡°Oh, wonderful.¡±


    Her antics made the othersugh. ¡°Are you actually that happy to find out that Calvin is single?¡±


    Silvia half seriously replied, ¡°Of course! This is my chance to get together with my male idol, no?¡±


    Her statements made Calvin¡¯s face go, but he was no longer the youth of before, who would blush bright red whenever someone flirted with him. Instead, he smiled politely and said, ¡°Silvia, you really haven¡¯t changed at all. You¡¯re still so amusing.¡±


    Silvia was ted at his praise. She grabbed Amber¡¯s hands from under the table and shook them wildly, her emotions clearly visible.


    Because it was someone else¡¯s wedding, everyone¡¯s behavior was more or less restrained. And after dinner, there was another ss reunion. For this one, Trysta had booked several rooms in the hotel and they also had ess to a spa with a mineral spring and a game room. With these amodations, everyone would definitely have a good time and rx.


    Silvia and the others whooped as they heard the news and then headed back to their rooms. Amber was near the tail end of the crowd, having hung back to help Trysta with a small problem. As she turned the corner, however, she found Calvin waiting for her. Startled, she asked, ¡°Why haven¡¯t you gone up yet?¡±


    ¡°I had a call and then waited for you.¡±


    Amber smiled. ¡°Thanks. Well then, let¡¯s go.


    ***


    The two walked towards the elevators together. While waiting for it to arrive, Calvin asked, ¡°Have you been well all these years?¡±


    ¡°Yes and you?¡±


    ¡°Life¡¯s been a little hard.¡±


    Amber looked at him strangely.


    ¡°It¡¯s true during my toughest period, I couldn¡¯t call anyone even if I wanted to.¡±


    Amber¡¯s head drooped as she looked at the ground. She understood that he was trying to exin that long period when he¡¯d fallen out of contact with her. Calvin stopped walking and then suddenly called out to her. ¡°Amber ¡­.¡±


    She stopped. However, at almost the exact same time, another voice called out to her as well.


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    Calvin stopped talking and along with Amber turned toward the voice. They saw a young man walking toward them from the shadows.


    When the light illuminated his face, Amber couldn¡¯t help but gasp for a moment.


    He walked closer, step by step, his gait somehow reminding Amber of a prowling beast that was unhurried and confident in its abilities. He said, ¡°You left something behind at the hotel.¡±


    After saying this, he handed her a wad of money and a pack of condoms.


    ¡°You bought the condoms, so you should be the one to take them away.¡±


    As he spoke, his expression remained calm, his tone cid and his actions cold, but it was because of this demeanor of his that Amber almost believed that the condoms and money he was handing her was indeed hers.


    And the implication of him handing her condoms made even Amber, a doctor, feel lightheaded from the blood rushing to her head.


    But at the very least, she could still throw up a superficially calm mien although she was afraid of looking at Calvin, she didn¡¯t want to indulge Ian in his unusual malice either. She silently took the proffered items. ¡°Is anything else the matter?¡±


    Ian didn¡¯t seem to expect that response from her. His gaze shifted to Calvin for a brief moment before he calmly said, ¡°You forgot to wash my clothes.¡± Having said that, he turned around and left.


    For quite a while after Ian¡¯s departure, the atmosphere between Calvin and Amber was awkward and tense. It was only until they entered the elevators that Calvin forced a smile onto his face and asked, ¡°Was that your boyfriend just now?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Upon hearing her answer, Calvin¡¯s eyes shone and then dimmed again quickly, because Amber had no intention of exining herself.? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    If he had asked, Amber certainly would have told him. However, during the time they spent catching up to therger crowd of people, Calvin did not ask.


    ***


    Amber and Calvin¡¯ste entrance attracted considerable attention. Silvia came up to her from behind, smirking. ¡°What were the two of you doing all the way back there?¡±


    Amber calmly replied, ¡°He said that he had to take a call. As for me, Trysta¡¯s husband drank too much and she wanted to ask me if I had any kidney medicine.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re familiar with that stuff too?¡±


    ¡°Not really.¡±


    Silvia looked at her and then at Calvin. She suddenly asked, ¡°Amber, do you like Calvin as well?¡±


    Amber was somewhat startled by the abrupt question, as she didn¡¯t quite understand how the topic had suddenly jumped there. However, she still answered truthfully. ¡°Yes, he used to be my idol in the past too.¡±


    Silvia, her face shell shocked, eximed, ¡°Oh no! How am I possibly going to defeat you?¡±


    Amber onlyughed in response. Silvia deted for some time, only recovering when Trysta called them over to go to the spa together. ¡°I thought that I was the female lead, but it turns out that I¡¯m just a supporting character! If you think about it carefully, you two are the true ideal couple, male and female protagonists blessed by heaven.¡±


    After saying that, she grasped Amber¡¯s hands and with seemingly painstaking care, said, ¡°I¡¯Il leave Calvin to you. If he chooses you, please treat my male idol with care.¡±


    Amber was speechless. Trysta walked over, only having heard thest snatches of conversation between them. ¡°Treat whom well? What¡¯s the matter, Silvia?¡±


    Silvia sighed. ¡°I¡¯m distraught from loneliness.¡±


    Amber split her sides fromughing.


    When the boisterous crowd headed toward the spa, Amber, however, refused to go as she was saddled with her thoughts about the earlier encounters. Additionally, she generally did not enjoy such activities. After a big argument, Trysta finally relented and brought the rest of the crowd there. But before long, she returned.


    Amber was astonished. ¡°Why on earth are you back already?¡±


    ¡°Oh, my husband was there and I don¡¯t like those activities either. So, I might as welle back and keep youpany.¡±


    Amberughed. ¡°Should I be scared? The bride left her groom behind just to keep me somepany.¡±


    Trysta ignored herments. ¡°It¡¯d be morenurate to say that he left me behind first. His friends spirited him away right after he took some medicine and recovered slightly. There wasn¡¯t much choice, with Ian Axton being such a big figure. Honestly, I¡¯m quite surprised that he even bothered to show up.¡±


    Amber surprised and asked, ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because Ian¡¯s very hard to invite to events. He¡¯s known to be cold and he has never attended any private gatherings in the past.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Amberughed in a nomittal manner even as she silently thought to herself, why would someone who didn¡¯t attend any sort of social gatherings in the past suddenly ept Trysta¡¯s wedding invitation? She wanted to ask Trysta how much she knew about Ian, but since it was her wedding, she dropped that idea. Instead, she changed the topic to something more relevant.


    ¡°What does it feel like to be married?¡±


    Trysta rolled her eyes. ¡°Just one word, tiring! I¡¯m never doing anything like this again. It¡¯s a torment!¡±


    Amber couldn¡¯t help butugh. ¡°Were you nning on doing this multiple times?¡±

 Chapter 9. I’M NOT SCARED OF DEATH

    ¡°Who¡¯s to say. Who knows what will happen in the future?¡±


    Amber shoved her lightly it was her wedding night, and she was still saying things like this?


    ¡°I¡¯m telling the truth. In this day and age, even staying married for life is a miracle.¡±


    ¡°It might juste true if you keep thinking like that.¡± Amber rebuked.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know that you were so superstitious, Dr. Camille.¡± Trysta pinched her cheeks as she rested her arms on Amber¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Was Silvia telling the truth?¡±


    The subject had changed so quickly that Amber didn¡¯t fully follow. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°That Calvin¡¯s also your crush.¡±


    ¡°How did you find out about that?¡±


    ¡°Silvia mentioned it, of course.¡± Trysta smiled deviously as she teased, ¡°Prepare yourself. To liven up the festivities, the rooms tonight are male and female suites. The males¡¯ rooms are right next door, so ¡­ you know.¡±


    ***


    Amber got up. ¡°Why don¡¯t I leave first?¡± But she was quickly dragged to a halt by Trysta, who had chased after her while asking, ¡°Is it true? Were you really in love with Calvin?¡±


    How had the rumor transformed into her being in love with Calvin? Gossip truly grew wilder as it spread. She had said that he used to be her crush, alright? Used to be! Used to be!!


    Trysta couldn¡¯t hold herughter back anymore. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have told Silvia this, then!¡±


    Amber didn¡¯t want to talk about this subject anymore. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be heading over? Given these co-gendered suites and all these beautiful women, you should be careful lest someone steal your newlywed groom away.¡±


    Trysta stated domineeringy, ¡°Just let them try! If he can be stolen away, he wouldn¡¯t be worthy of me in the first ce.¡±


    As she said this, her phone rang, not long after, Frank found his way here.


    Amber opened the door and Frank poked his head in. A few other people came right behind him. Next to the door were two attendants supporting a female in a pink suit. Amber recalled that she was the girl who had caught the wedding bouquet earlier, as well as one of Trysta¡¯s bridesmaids.


    Frank was swaying as he walked and an alcoholic blush was still present on his face. Despite his intoxication, he was still clear headed enough to have the attendants to carry the girl in. Astonished, Trysta asked, ¡°Who¡¯s this?¡±


    Frank rubbed his forehead as he exined, ¡°She went to take a bath after drinking too much and almost drowned in the bathtub. This is a break room for the females, isn¡¯t it? Can you let her stay here tonight? The hotel¡¯s full and there¡¯s no space for an extra person.¡±


    Amber didn¡¯t mind. But instead of focusing on the girl, her gaze was directed outside, to a man leaning on amppost with only half his face showing.


    Ian ¡­.


    Because of the lighting, his expression seemed somewhat sullen. For some reason, he looked unhappy and his negative emotions seemed to emanate outward.


    Upon noticing her gaze, he nced back at her indifferently.


    Amber broke eye contact when Ian headed inside. Trysta was helping the attendants take care of the drunk girl, all the while asking, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you just let someone send her back? Why are all of you here? Didn¡¯t you say that you wanted to enjoy the hot springs?¡±


    Amber raised her eyebrows. In the first ce, would a germaphobe like Ian ever take a bath in this sort of ce?


    Indeed, Frank replied, ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. Just as we were about to take off our clothes, Director Axton had somethinge up. So, it was convenient for me to take Sarah back at the same time.¡±


    Sarah was the drunken bridesmaid, supposedly a distant rtive of Trysta. As Frank said this, he looked at Amber, somewhat embarrassed. ¡°Amber, you didn¡¯t drink tonight, did you? My friend has to leave urgently, but he¡¯s too drunk to drive and we can¡¯t find a chauffeur at this hour either. Could I trouble you to give him a ride? It isn¡¯t far, just a half hour¡¯s drive there and back.¡±


    Amber didn¡¯t respond, only looking at Ian again. He was standing to the side of the room and he seemed quite sober andpletely capable of driving himself.


    This time, he acted quite politely, turning toward Amber and sping his hands together as soon as Frank finished talking. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to trouble you.¡±


    Nothing like the man who had purposefully given her condoms just earlier.Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    Amber couldn¡¯t understand what he was thinking and was reluctant to agree. It was only Frank and Trysta¡¯s earnest gaze, as well as Trysta¡¯s whispered words ¡°send him away quickly. He¡¯s going to ruin my wedding night if he stays here much longer¡± that finally got her to agree.


    Amber wanted to sigh. Tactfully, she replied, ¡°I don¡¯t drive frequently and might not be a very good driver.¡± in an attempt to decline.


    This time, Ian spoke to her directly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not scared of death.¡±


    His words left Amber speechless and it was Trysta who started worrying this time. ¡°Actually, why don¡¯t I just find one of my male ssmates? Honestly, I¡¯m somewhat worried at having Amber drive as well.¡±


    Frank shook his head. ¡°Forget it, they¡¯re currently all bathing. It¡¯d be too inconvenient to drag someone else out. Don¡¯t worry, Amber¡¯s a doctor with a dependable personality. As long as she drives slowly, there won¡¯t be a problem. Right, Director Axton?¡±


    Ian nodded.


    Meanwhile, Trysta looked at Frank wordlessly. The couple exchanged a gaze and Trysta finally stopped speaking up. The two of them sent Amber and Ian to the garage. As Trysta watched the car roll away, she couldn¡¯t help but frown. ¡°What are you and Ian nning?¡±


    Frankughed and hugged her. ¡°What could we be nning? I¡¯m just having your ssmate give him a ride.¡±


    Trysta turned to stare at him. ¡°Really? The two of you are acting so strangely, especially that Ian. It¡¯s even weirder that he came at all today.¡±


    Frank kissed her. ¡°What¡¯s so strange? Isn¡¯t your husband worth himing? And I want him to leave right away because if he stays, tonight we¡¯ll ¡­.¡±


    The rest of his words were drowned out in their quietughter. Trysta pushed him lightly. ¡°Act properly.¡±


    ¡°With my wife, what¡¯s the point of being proper?¡±

 Chapter 10. I WANT TO WOO YOU

    Amber had her driver¡¯s license for a long time, but she rarely drove and considering how fancy Frank¡¯s car was, it was only normal that she was on tenterhooks the entire drive. Even so, she couldn¡¯t ignore the serious nces that Ian was shooting at her from the passenger¡¯s seat.


    He sat there on his side with his hand resting on the armrest between them and his eyes staring at her with rapt attention. After finishing his inspection, he detachedly stated, ¡°You look very ordinary. Why do they all call you beautiful?¡±


    Having been at the spa just earlier, he had heard all of Amber¡¯s ssmates conversations. This earnestmentary was just a continuation of those conversations. ¡°Especially given that you only have one dimple. How disgusting.¡±


    Amber tried her hardest to pretend he was just air.


    He even seemed confused as to why Amber was ignoring him. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you speaking today?¡±


    Honestly, Amber was even more mystified by his attitude. After thinking about her teacher¡¯s request, she drove even more slowly and asked, ¡°Why are you speaking so much today?¡±


    During their first meeting, he had barely spoken at all.


    Ian remained quiet. Just as Amber was about to reflect on whether she had phrased her question too directly, he suddenly spoke up again.


    ¡°I want to woo you.¡± He looked at her directly as he asked, ¡°May I?¡±


    Amber couldn¡¯t help butugh upon hearing his words. ¡°Don¡¯t tease me. I really can¡¯t drive all that well.¡±


    ¡°Why are youughing? Am I not being serious enough?¡±


    No, Amber thought. Who would care if a calctor were serious? Ian¡¯s tone didn¡¯t contain any of the bashfulness of a youthful man yearning for love. Rather than being nervous, he sounded more like an office worker merely trying to aplish a task.


    She decided to have a good chat with him, from the stance that he was one of her patients. ¡°Mr. Axton, have you ever been in a rtionship before?¡±


    ¡°Is this rted to my chasing you?¡±


    Amber smiled. ¡°If you¡¯ve ever been in a rtionship, then you should know that your actions are different from those of someone who¡¯s truly smitten and wholeheartedly trying to woo someone else.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± His tone was as apathetic as ever. ¡°Then what should my actions be like?¡±


    ¡°What should it be like?¡± There was a red light ahead and Amber decelerated the car slowly, her white fingers slowly rapping on the steering wheel in thought. ¡°To truly woo someone earnestly involves treating a lover with a reserved, modest, and even somewhat shy attitude. It definitely does not involve sudden passion or premature affection.¡±


    ¡°Says who?¡±


    ¡°The great pioneer of the proletariat, Karl Marx.¡±


    ¡°Marx really said something like that?¡± Ian clearly didn¡¯t believe her words. ¡°On the other hand, the great French novelist Balzac stated that love is the indulgence of rationality. A positive, grave enjoyment.¡±


    After hearing Ian¡¯s words, Amber started smiling. He was a more interesting man than she had previously given credit for at the very least, he had been thinking about love or he wouldn¡¯t have remembered this quote of Balzac¡¯s.


    Or, perhaps, these words only served to support his detached emotions.


    An indulgence of rationality, a grave enjoyment ¡­ his attention was solely focused on the words ¡°rationality¡± and ¡°grave,¡± wasn¡¯t it?


    She stopped debating with him. After the red light turned green, she started driving again. Ian received a call, probably the one that was rushing him. She heard him say, ¡°I¡¯m almost there. Turn right.¡±


    The words ¡°turn right¡± was directed at Amber. He had said it promptly and Amber was able to follow his directions. Not far ahead, she saw a big metal gate.


    After they finally arrived, Ian hung up. ¡°Drive inside.¡±


    Amber nced at him and he also turned his head to look at her. She somewhat awkwardly asked, ¡°Can you walk inside by yourself?¡±


    She remembered that there used to be a mountain here, but the mountain had clearly been levelled and reced with bungalows some time ago. This now unfamiliar ce, walled up behind a big metal gate, looked like a dark castle in the deep night and it was a castle that Amber didn¡¯t want to enter.


    Ian seemed to see through her pretense. ¡°Are you scared?¡±


    He seemed a bit amazed and tried to reassure her, though his tone wasn¡¯t very reassuring. ¡°We¡¯ve already slept together, so what else could you be scared of?¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡± Amber quite.


    ***N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    Amber ended up driving Ian inside, for no other reason than his ultimatum. ¡°It¡¯s quite a long walk from here. Either you get out of the car and I¡¯ll drive myself in, or you can do so.¡±


    Amber¡¯s only reasonable choice was to drive him in.


    Of course, Ian hadn¡¯t lied to her. The front entrance was indeed quite a long distance away from the front door. The path was tortuous, so much so that when Ian finally said, ¡°Okay, this is the ce.¡± Amber was almost about to faint from dizziness.


    At almost the exact same time that they arrived, the main entrance of the mansion opened and a young man of about thirty years old walked out. He had a light woolen shirt on, which, coupled with his pleasing appearance, gave him a refined air. He walked briskly and arrived at the door of the car almost as soon as Amber stopped it.


    Amber had met him once before. He was the person who had given her the ss of alcohol that had led to her overdrinking.


    He was a friend of Ian¡¯s, whose name seemed to be Ansell.


    Ian rolled down the window and Ansell tilted downwards to look inside the car. He also recognized Amber and greeted her first.


    ¡°Hi, doctor!¡± And then he grumbled to Ian. ¡°Why did you only get here now? Simon couldn¡¯t wait any longer and already left. How are we going to deal with a missing yer?¡±


    Ian turned around and asked Amber. ¡°Do you know how to y mah jongg?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Then get off.¡±


    Fine, she¡¯d say ¡®Yes.¡¯ Was that good enough? But it was toote already. When Ian got out of the car, he had also taken the keys with him. If she didn¡¯t want to walk all the way back to the hotel, she would have to go inside and y a few games with them.

 Chapter 11. THE RUMORED PARTNER

    Ansell was worthy of being called Ian¡¯s friend, given how well he understood Ian¡¯s behavior. As Ian walked away, he stayed behind to exin the situation to Amber. ¡°We¡¯re missing a yer, but conveniently enough, you¡¯re right here. So please,e join us.¡±


    Amber asked him. ¡°Can I refuse?¡±


    ¡°Probably not.¡± Ansell¡¯s tone was tinged with sarcastic humor as he exined, ¡°Generally speaking, anything that Ian wants to be done, has to be done. Otherwise, everyone will suffer. Aren¡¯t you his partner? Don¡¯t you know at least this much?¡±


    In the end, Amber got out of the car, because she would rather y mahjong with unfamiliar men than walk home alone.


    Ansell consoled her by saying, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Oh, don¡¯t be afraid of losing money. If you win, it¡¯s yours but if you lose, Ian¡¯s the one who¡¯ll pay. Think of it as going through a program with him.¡±


    ¡°A program?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, like aputer program. Once you hit the ¡°go¡± button, you can¡¯t stop it. Isn¡¯t he just like one?¡±


    Amberughed at thisparison, it really was urate.


    By this time, they had reached the doorsteps. As the doors opened and Amber entered, she finally realized that this wasn¡¯t a private manor, but rather a rebuilt clubhouse where the ground floor living room had been transformed into arge lounge. Beautiful women in cheongsams elegantly walked forward to greet them. ¡°Director Ansell.¡±


    Ansell waved them offzily before they could say anything else. The women retreated quickly and Amber followed him into a room upstairs.


    When they walked inside, they heard the sound of running watering from the restroom to the side. Ian was washing his hands. Inside the room sat a bald man, seemingly ovee with boredom as he listlessly scrolled through TV channels. Upon seeing the two of them enter, he threw the remote to the side and his gazended on Amber. ¡°Ey, Ansell, where did you find such a beautiful girl and when did they start having such innocent girls here?¡±


    Amber had dressed up for the wedding, but it still seemed rather simple and unadorned to these people. She was dressed in a white sweater and ck pants, with a brand new orange jacket draped around her shoulders, culminating in an elegant and refined look. Her face didn¡¯t have a single dab of makeup on, contrasting sharply against the rest of the women in the club, it wasn¡¯t strange that he would make such ament.


    Amber remained silent. Ansell said, ¡°Don¡¯t speak such nonsense. This is Ian¡¯s partner.¡±


    This time, the Billy started choking in shock. ¡°Damn, Ian¡¯s partner?¡± His tone was exaggerated. ¡°You¡¯re Boss Axton¡¯s rumored partner who got drunk after a single shot?¡±


    It seemed like she had already made a name for herself in a single night. Forck of a better option, Amber exined herself once more. ¡°Mr. Axton¡¯s just joking. I¡¯m not his partner.¡±


    But the people who hung out around Ian were probably unlikely to listen to others or at least the person in front of her seemed that way. He stood up, circled around Amber with a look full of interest and then shouted into the bathroom, ¡°Boss Ian, did you guys juste from hotel?¡±


    Amidst the running water came an indifferent grunt of confirmation.


    ¡°Then you guys are moving rather quickly,¡± Billy said with a devious smile. ¡°You¡¯ve remained a virgin all these years, so are you finally unable to control your urges now that you¡¯ve found someone? How did a fifteen minute drive turn into a forty five minute one? You guys couldn¡¯t possibly have gone at it on the road, right? Sess in love leads to losses everywhere else, you know. Be careful not to lose your pants while gambling today.¡±


    Amber decided to make Billy eat his words, specifically, to make him lose his pants while gambling.


    Ian walked out of the bathroom, ignored Billy and directly say down in front of the mah jjong table. He then rearranged the stools that had been somewhat out of ce, chose one and sat down.


    Billy couldn¡¯t help butment on his antics. ¡°Why do you insist on arranging them so nicely if we¡¯re just going to sit on them anyway?¡± But he too went over and sat down on a stool. Amber noticed that, despite his sloppiness, he didn¡¯t dare to touch Ian directly. Instead, Billy took a mah jjong tile and lightly tapped it on the table in front of him. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to introduce your partner?¡±


    ¡°Her name is Amber.¡± He rang the bell on the table and lifted his eyes up to look at Amber. ¡°Do you need someone to carry you to a seat?¡±


    Billy jeered, ¡°She probably wants you to carry her.¡±


    Ansell also sat down. ¡°Ian, the doctor says that she doesn¡¯t have any money on her.¡±


    With a leer, Billy said, ¡°Then why don¡¯t you use your body as coteral? As a rational man, Ian would definitely be in high spirits then.¡±


    This man in front of her really couldn¡¯t seem to keep his mouth shut and Amber had already formed a distinctly bad impression of him. At this point, an attendant came into the room, bringing a whole tray of poker chips with him that he neatly ced in front of the three people. Without looking, Ian took half of his stack and pushed it to the empty seat next to him. ¡°Come here.¡±


    His tone wasn¡¯t particrlymanding, but it brooked no refusal. Patients suffering from emotional detachment generally didn¡¯t have much patience Amber thought for a moment before obediently sitting down without further ado.


    Billy rubbed his fingers together, clearly eager to get started. ¡°Two on two. Ansell, do you think we can win?¡±


    Ansell, smiling and then replied, ¡°Take it easy. Our good doctor¡¯s unfamiliar with this game.¡±


    ¡°Heh, really?¡± Billy nced at Amber disbelievingly.


    Amber smiled and didn¡¯t reply, but her awkward tile handling spoke volumes by itself. Just as Billy was about to say something to Ian, her phone rang. It turned out to be from Calvin.


    ¡°You drove off?¡±


    His voice was concerned.


    ¡°Yes ¡­.¡± After saying just this one word, Amber was interrupted as Silvia¡¯s voice suddenly rang out from the other end.


    ¡°Why are you being so gentle with her?¡± She shouted toward the phone, ¡°Hey, Dr. Amber, why are you taking so long? Are you sending him to outer space?¡±Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    Amber didn¡¯t want them to overthink anything, so she said, ¡°Something urgent came up, so I won¡¯t be able to make it back. Please let Trysta know that I left the car with Frank¡¯s friend.¡±


    Silvia immediately started jumping up and down. ¡°Damn, you¡¯re really leaving me halfway? What happened to staying up the entire night? Amber, you¡¯re really disloyal! I don¡¯t care, if you aren¡¯ting back, your crush is mine!¡±

 Chapter 12. ACTING DUMB

    A hand crept over, picked up Amber¡¯s phone that was resting against her neck and forcefully terminated the call. A finger brushed against Amber¡¯s ear, a cold sensation, cool but itchy.


    She resisted the temptation to rub it with her hand and identally knocked over some of her mah jjong tiles instead and ended up hastily trying to reorganize them.


    Billy, seeing the situation, couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Are you alright? Why don¡¯t you just admit defeat and surrender your body?¡±


    Amber ignored him, meticulously arranging her tiles and starting to focus on the game. However, her tiles were too crooked, her ystyle too untrained and her hand movement unbearable to look at. Even Ansell started worrying for her. ¡°Do you need someone to teach you?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    And then she threw out a pair of tiles, one of the pairs that she had picked up from the table previously. Ansell and the others were speechless. ¡°Chief Ian, you¡¯ve really managed to find a woman who¡¯ll lose your entire fortune,¡± said Billy.


    But before he could finish, Amber asked, ¡°Seven pairs form a set, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Ansell answered, preparing to exin the rules and thebos to her in a detailed manner. ¡°A set of seven pairs-¡±


    Amber disyed her tiles one set at a time and tly dered, ¡°Then I¡¯ve won.¡±


    And at this time, they all silent for a moment.


    Ian smiled upon seeing the situation, a slight curve on his lips. His eyes were unexpectedly clear, good looking and even showed a glimpse of mirth. That,bined with a sense of kindliness, actually dispelled some of his body¡¯s natural frigidity.


    Amber looked at him out of the corner of her eyes and unconsciously held her breath. Ansell and Billy, on the other hand, seemed used to this behavior. Thetter even unhappily grumbled, ¡°Does winning once make you this happy? Your winning streak won¡¯tst long. We¡¯ll slowly whittle you guys down until you lose your pants.¡±


    Ian, indifferent as always, merely replied, ¡°Speak for yourself when you win.¡±


    Ansell looked at Amber¡¯s tiles. ¡°If you were going for seven pairs, then why did you throw out so many pairs earlier?¡±


    Amber innocently said, ¡°I didn¡¯t know what I was going for back then.¡±


    Billy thumped the table as he heard their conversation. ¡°Just beginner¡¯s luck afterall!¡±


    Amber smiled as each of the two gave her a small stack of chips from the piles in front of them. She had already received plenty of chips from winning this round.


    She returned the chips that Ian had given her initially. Billy snickered as he saw this. ¡°Hey, you don¡¯t think that everything¡¯s going to go well just because you won this round, do you?¡±


    Amber shook her head. ¡°I just don¡¯t want you guys tobel me as someone who squanders money.¡±


    ¡°Good, you should be ambitious!¡± Ansell praised her as heughed.


    Even as the game continued, Amber¡¯s technique remained poor. One round after Ansell had won, he leaned over to look at her tiles and couldn¡¯t help butugh. ¡°You even threw out your reimed tiles?¡±


    She was still at a loss for how to y.


    But regardless of how poor her technique was, it couldn¡¯t mitigate her good luck. She didn¡¯t seem to win with low scoring tiles at all, but when she did win, it was always with a high scoring hand. Herbinations like the previous seven pairs easily trounced everyone else at the table.


    Ian also won a few small hands, but Billy remained the only one who hadn¡¯t won since the start of the game. He had to call another attendant over to get some more chips, grinning at Amber as he did so. ¡°Keep winning while you still can.¡±


    And Amber did keep winning. At the start, Ian and Ansell had won a few rounds intermittently, but after midnight, Amber had finally solidly grasped the rules of the game. At that point, even they couldn¡¯t win anymore. The three of them looked on balefully as Amber made move after move for another two hours. No matter how little they cared, even they were growing exasperated, who didn¡¯t want to win?


    Billy knocked his tiles over as his frustration overflowed. He directly asked Amber. ¡°Did you really not know how to y or were you just acting dumb?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never gambled before in my life.¡± Amber said dispassionately as she threw out a few more tiles and picked new ones up, before pushing her whole set down once again. ¡°Set of flowers, same suit.¡±


    The other three people in the room couldn¡¯t even find words to respond.


    Billy couldn¡¯t help it and he also threw his tiles down. ¡°Forget it, I¡¯m not ying anymore!¡±


    The other two shared his sentiment.


    Over the course of the entire game, everyone else¡¯s tokens had migrated in front of Amber. The club attendants came over to help her convert her tokens into earnings and she tallied it up silently, a few million dors. Given the current housing prices in the city, just these few hours of gambling was enough for her to buy a house near the hospital she worked at.Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    As she walked out of the room, she found that Ian and the others had already left. Luckily, the club had the contact information of all their club members and Amber managed to get ahold of Ian¡¯s number and call him. ¡°You forgot to return the car keys to me.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°Then what am I going to do?¡±


    ¡°Find a solution yourself.¡± Given his cold tone, was he throwing a fit after losing money to her? It couldn¡¯t be Ian had always been calm and indifferent from the beginning.


    Luckily, one of the attendants at the club saved her. ¡°If you register for a membership, we can send you out for free.¡±


    Amber was relieved. ¡°How do I get a membership?¡±


    The attendant helped her set one up and then asked her, ¡°Would you prefer to keep your earnings here or have them transferred to your bank ount?¡±


    It was only then that Amber remembered that she had earned arge sum of money. ¡°Is Mr. Axton a member here?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Then put it all into his ount.¡±


    ¡°All of it?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    She loved money, but was even more conscientious about her money¡¯s provenance. The money she had received today was nothing more than ill gotten gains to avoid any future problems, it was better to return it all.


    The attendant was sure that there was some gossip hidden in there somewhere, but he didn¡¯t pry and efficiently handled all the requested transaction.


    ¡°Do you want to leave a message to go with the transaction?¡±


    Amber smiled lightly. ¡°Prostitution fees.¡±


    Given how considerate he was to send her condoms, then shouldn¡¯t it be normal for her to be polite and settle the score?


    Still holding a grudge from being abandoned, Amber had thus done a very irrational thing. She regretted her words almost as soon as she said them, but it was already toote.

 Chapter 13. PAID A PROSTITUTION FEE

    Knowing that the message had already been sent out, Amber bashed her head against the table.


    The attendant carefully asked, ¡°Are you alright, Miss?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± She replied haltingly. Hoping against all hope, she asked, ¡°Is there any way Mr. Axton would be unable to receive the message?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible.¡± The attendant stuck out his chest, his posture proud. ¡°Our fund transfer system is fully modernized and secure. We¡¯ve never had a problem before.¡±


    Indeed, the fund transfer was surprisingly rapid and Ian received a notification almost immediately after it was sent through. At that point, the three men were discussing whether or not Amber had swindled them and the other two had only mildly criticized Ian for leaving her stranded in the club.


    The fund transfer message was voice recorded, so all three men heard the notification as he tapped on it. ¡°Mr. Axton, at 1:48 AM, you were paid prostitution fees. Please check your ount bnce.¡±


    The interior of the car fell silent. Ansell was driving at the front seat, but as soon as he heard the notification, he quickly dialled down the volume. Billy, meanwhile, was dumbstruck. ¡°What, what, did I hear wrong just now? What kind of fee did you receive, Boss?¡±


    Ian also didn¡¯t hear the message clearly. More precisely, he didn¡¯t dare believe what he had heard, so he tapped the notification again. This time, the interior of the car was silent enough to be rming, they all heard the phrase ¡°prostitution fee¡± loud and clear.


    Ian didn¡¯t react, but the other two startedughing their lungs out. Billy in particr, grabbed his phone and started asking, ¡°Who¡¯s this, how much money?¡±


    When he saw the amount, he gasped. ¡°Damn, this is arge sum. You¡¯re doing pretty well for yourself, aren¡¯t you, Boss! Is this just for one night?¡±


    Ansell startedughing even harder, so much so that he had to pull over and stop by the side of the road. He turned to the backseat and asked, ¡°Who¡¯s the brave soul that treated our Master Axton as a prostitute? Let¡¯s see who it is and pay our respects to them!¡±


    Billy risked batting Ian¡¯s hands away so that he could see his screen and finally seeding after a few failed attempts. ¡°Miss Camille, which Miss Camille?¡±


    Even after ying a whole night of mah jjong with Amber, he still didn¡¯t know her surname.


    Ansell, on the other hand, praised her. ¡°Damn, she¡¯s quite the character!¡±


    ¡°Do you like her?¡± Ian raised his head, his expression and tone seemingly indifferent, but his tone notably sinister. ¡°Shall I introduce her to you then?¡±


    All night long, Ansell had seen him protect Amber and help resolve her issues. Ansell¡¯s smile froze on his face. If Ian was going for someone, then how could he possibly win against him?


    ¡°Thanks for the offer.¡± He said seriously. ¡°But I¡¯m going to quit cold turkey this moment!¡±


    ***


    Amber let one of the club chauffeurs send her home. Because it was the weekend, she was supposed to be visiting her parents. However, it was sote and they lived so far away that, by the time she got there, it would probably be early morning and her parents would be preparing to open their diner. They would surely nag at her if they saw her arrive sote. So instead, she went back to her house.


    The apartment that Amber was staying in was very close to the hospital. Her parents had bought it for her while she was in graduate school. And by the time she graduated with her PhD, her twin brother Ruby had earned enough money to help her renovate it. So even though the decor of the apartment was a bit strange as it was a potpourri of Eastern and Western styles, the workmanship was meticulous and it was a veryfortable ce to live in.


    ***Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    She was so tired from the day¡¯s events that she immediately fell asleep right after showering haphazardly. The next day, when she woke up, she saw Ian¡¯s text. ¡°l¡¯ve received the prostitution payment.¡±


    For some reason, Amber felt like she had been marked by a wolf. She decided to bluntly call him back. With a sincere tone, she said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I shouldn¡¯t have pulled such a base joke. If it made you ufortable, then I apologize.¡±


    Honestly, she herself didn¡¯t know why those words had sprouted from her mouthst night, it was simply too uncouth for her.


    Ian was silent for a moment and then he asked, ¡°How did you win so muchst night?¡±


    Amber was very open about the truth. ¡°My uncle used to cheat in mah jjong. When i had nothing to do as a child, i learned some of his tricks.¡±


    Ianughed without much emotion. After a while, he suddenly said, ¡°Why don¡¯t you be my girlfriend?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Amber stared nkly at the wall in front of her.


    ¡°That is, if you feel sorry for me.¡±


    Amber understood the logic in his words right away. ¡°If you feel sorry for me, then you can be my girlfriend.¡±


    Was he asking her to give herself up for a joke? Amber didn¡¯t know whether tough or to cry. She responded. ¡°On the other hand, think we can be friends. That is, if you¡¯re willing.¡±


    Regarding her response, Ian didn¡¯t reply. Instead, he hung up.


    Amber fell into a daze, clutching at her phone. She had a premonition that Ian wouldn¡¯t be an easy patient to treat. She¡¯d very likely end up with nothing to show for herbor and even possibly a heap of trouble for herself.


    Of course, Amber wasn¡¯t afraid of trouble. There were many patients even more troublesome than Ian. For example, Elly, the patient that she had been discussing with Nancy during that first dinner with Ian, was first and foremost. Walking corpse syndrome was so rare that, even throughout the entire world, only a few paltry cases had been reported. Many of the doctors around her were interested in that patient, but those who were confident or even willing to treat her were few and far between.


    But Amber was willing to take her on as a patient. She was prepared to use all her patience and skill to treat Elly because she knew how much her patient needed it, regardless of how little time she would have left for herself.


    And as for Ian, he clearly didn¡¯t want a doctor. His actions of trying to trip her up and intentionally stating that he wanted to woo her were simply attempts to change the potential doctor-patient rtionship into a more familiar romantic rtionship.


    This was, clearly and unambiguously, a refusal on his part-if you want to get close to me, then you can¡¯t do it as a doctor. You have to be my girlfriend.


    She was very curious about what would have happened if her professor had instead found him a male doctor.


    After sighing about her conundrum, Amber tidied herself up, ate what she could find at home and went to the hospital to care for Elly.

 Chapter 14. ARE YOU SUPRISED

    This was Elly¡¯s seventh day at the hospital. Her symptoms hadn¡¯t improved at all, she still slept in the morning and was only active at night. Amber had just arrived when the nurse responsible for her startedining. ¡°She caused trouble overnight again! She almost managed to get into the mortuary and was constantly muttering about the king of hell, little ghosts, cutting off tongues and other things like that. In fact, she scared the new nurse so much that she started crying.¡±


    Amber closed the folder of medical records that she held in her hands and patted her shoulder. ¡°Thank you for all your hard work.¡±


    She went to Elly¡¯s ward. The girl was only fourteen and her figure was naturally thin and small. She was currently sleeping quietly, her posture perfect or more precisely, stiff and rigid. Her hands were sped tightly in front of her stomach, her legs spread straight and angled slightly apart, her eyes shut tightly and her face covered with a white cloth that she had torn off of her pillow cover.


    Amber had personally dressed her grandmother¡¯s corpse, so she clearly knew what Elly¡¯s posture represented. She observed her silently for quite a while before turning to the nurse again. ¡°Have you been able to contact her family members?¡±


    Elly had previously lived with just her old grandmother. When the grandmother had died, only her father was left. But since he was a fisherman, he spent more than half his life at sea.


    The incident with the Elly family had taken ce not long after he left.


    ¡°Yes. We¡¯ve just gotten information that Elly¡¯s father has returned from his trip and that he will be here within a week.¡±


    Amber released a breath that she had been holding in. There would finally be somebody who could help her understand a bit about Elly¡¯s past.? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    ***


    Having made headway into Elly¡¯s case, Amber found new troubles awaiting her. She was supposed to be providing outpatient service this month. However, since Tuesday, none of her patients had shown up for their appointments.


    This kind of situation was very rare, because Presbiterian¡¯s psychiatry department was renowned nationwide. Given the high stress endemic to modern life, it was almost impossible for a doctor to have no patients during their outpatient service hours. Beyond that, it was definitely impossible that people would schedule their appointments and not show up.


    The nurse on duty with her was very shocked by these circumstances. On the other hand, Amber felt an ufortable premonition creep over her.


    She turned on herputer and looked at her list of appointments again, but found nothing unusual. The patients had all registered with their real names, so she could see that her patients came from all over the country.


    Could it be that people had scalped her appointment slots? No, that was impossible-Amber wasn¡¯t her professor Nancy-she wouldn¡¯t be worth the effort.


    Amber was thus left to ruminate in her own thoughts. At 10:30 AM, a somewhat familiar person finally showed up at her office.


    It was one of the people she had yed mah jjong with that night-Ian¡¯s friend-Billy.


    ¡°Hi Doctor, it¡¯s good to see you again.¡± He stood at the door and waved at her as a whole group ofckeys showed up behind him. After throwing his leather coat to them, he sat down imposingly in front of her.


    ¡°Are you here for a diagnosis?¡± Amber asked.


    ¡°No.¡± Billy cracked a smile as he replied, ¡°I¡¯m here to convey Boss Ian¡¯s message.¡±


    ¡°Ian Axton?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Boss Ian wants me to tell you that he empathizes with your workload and is worried that you¡¯ll be too tired. Thus, he had someone preemptively book all of your appointment slots for today, tomorrow and the day after. Haha ¡­ Dr. Amber, are you surprised? Aren¡¯t you thrilled?¡±


    Amber momentarily speechless.


    At this point, perhaps only Ruby¡¯s catchphrase could truly express her feelings, ¡°I¡¯ve had it with this asshole!¡±


    Her premonitions from a few days ago had finally manifested into reality. Had she known earlier that giving her winnings to Ian would have spawned such ¡®inspired¡¯ actions, she ¡­ she would have taken all the money and left and she definitely would not have let the club attendant send such a message.


    As expected, not thinking carefully was her ultimate downfall.


    There was a suddenmotion by the clinic door. It was the nurse who was on duty along with Amber. When she had seen the doorway filled with people, she had assumed that the patients had finallye. So, she had quickly returned, but right after entering, she had heard Billy¡¯s eye boggling announcement and almost tripped over her own feet.


    She knew that Ian¡¯s beauty would definitely lead besotted men to chase after her. However, even she didn¡¯t expect that these men would be so intrepid as to book all her appointment slots like this ¡­ was this for real? This gossip was so juicy that she had to share it right away!


    But after Amber noticed her, the nurse tried to dampen her excited expression. She hupped once before resetting her mentality into something more earnest. ¡°Dr. Amber, are the patients here?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Two voices spoke out at once, giving contradictory responses. Billy peered at Amber as he smiled and then gave the nurse a flirtatious nce. ¡°Dr. Amber¡¯s partner is worried about her workload and has booked all her appointment slots for the next couple of days. Congrattions on your luck enjoy your few days off.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Amber¡¯s forehead veins started throbbing angrily. The nurse, meanwhile, stared at Billy with an open mouth. ¡°Dr. Amber¡¯s partner? But, but Dr. Amber¡¯s a doctor ¡­.¡± She looked over at Amber. ¡°Is this reallypliant with hospital policy?¡±


    Amber remained silent for a brief moment and then looked at the nurse who had clearly been shocked dizzy by the caliber of this gossip. She calmly said, ¡°Why don¡¯t you go out first?¡±


    But before the nurse could fully exit the room, she loudly asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Mr. Ian? ying such an obnoxious prank really makes things difficult for me. So, can you let him know that i¡¯d like to have a word with him.¡±


    But her statement was useless. After just a single hour, the whole department had heard that she had found a very rich boyfriend who had booked up all her appointment slots. And by the afternoon, even Nancy had found out and had called her for this very reason. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Who¡¯s causing this kind of trouble? Amber, this is a hospital, not some ce where you can fool around.¡±


    Evidently, she didn¡¯t know that the perpetrator of this event was the very man she had introduced to her, Ian Axton. Amber massaged her forehead as she replied, ¡°Professor, the man responsible for this is Ian.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±

 Chapter 15. IS THIS FOR REAL

    Amber sighed. After Billy left, she hadtried to contact Ian. But unfortunately, he didn¡¯t want to see her, and he wouldn¡¯t even pick up his phone.


    She didn¡¯t try to hide this from Nancy. After hearing this, even Nancy didn¡¯t know whether to cry orugh. ¡°This man ¡­ fine, Iadmit that this is my fault. I¡¯ll let him know for you. As for the hospital ¡­ after such a big fuss, has the administration made any trouble for you?¡±


    ¡°Well, the silver lining is that the director of the hospital isn¡¯t around. But unfortunately, the department head told me to meet him after work.¡±


    Nancy couldn¡¯t help butugh. ¡°You must be the first doctor that¡¯s been forced into such a situation by a patient. Alright, don¡¯t worry too much about it. I¡¯ll help you deal with your department head.¡±


    Amber instantly found the cause of her headache dissipate and she sped her hands together in gratitude. ¡°Thank you, Professor.¡±


    Nancy tended to work quickly, before Amber¡¯s shift was even over, she had been notified that the department head wouldn¡¯t be inviting her over for tea.


    And then, after work, she even saw Ian.


    ***


    It was drizzling lightly outside then and he had sent a chauffeur over specifically to pick her up. After driving around for a while, the car pulled up at an indoor tennis court.


    As she pushed the car door open, his ball swerved toward her face. If Amber¡¯s reflexes had been even a step slower, the ball could have blinded her in one eye.


    But instead, the yellow green ball brushed against Amber¡¯s temples, hit the doorframe and bounced back onto the court like a bullet.


    Amber couldn¡¯t help sweating. As she looked at Ian again, he didn¡¯t seem flustered at all. Instead of greeting her, he merely lifted his racket and continued to practice his brutal, fast serves.


    Amber breathed out, trying not to disturb him. Only when he was tired did she finally walk over.


    ¡°Mr. Axton, can we talk?¡±N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    He wiped the sweat off of his head with a towel, and peered down at her from above. ¡°Are you willing to ept my proposal?¡±


    Truly a machine that won¡¯t stop before reaching his goal.


    Amber stopped going around in circles with him and directly addressed the issue. ¡°Mr. Axton, i think that you clearly understand that my professor introduced you to me not for us to go on a blind date, but rather for me to assist you as a doctor.¡±


    Ian¡¯s hands stopped moving. He threw down his towel, wiped his smile off of his face and walked toward her. As he approached, his imposing manner pressured Amber so much so that she felt like she couldn¡¯t breathe.


    He pushed her against the wall, maintaining just a slight bit of distance between them and ced his hand against the wall. ¡°As a doctor?¡±


    He sneered. ¡°Don¡¯t think you¡¯re special just because you¡¯re a doctor. Here¡¯s a question. Do you believe me when i say that i can make your title of ¡°doctor¡± disappear?¡±


    All of a sudden, Amber¡¯s phone rang. But instead of alleviating the tension between. the two, her crisp ringtone only made the atmosphere even more oppressive.


    Amber didn¡¯t pick up the call. She tried her hardest to ignore the tension emanating off of Ian by looking at him straightforwardly without any intent of deflection. ¡°Do you have any particr misgivings against doctors?¡±


    ¡°Misgivings? Is it a misgiving to rightfully deny that I am ill?¡± Ian¡¯s voice was steeped in disdain and an indistinct anger when he replied. ¡°If being aloof is truly an illness, then how many people in the world are currently suffering from this incurable disease?¡±


    Clearly, he was quite self aware and even unexpectedly logical about his own situation. Amber was even starting to doubt her own diagnosis.


    She didn¡¯t intend to argue with him, though. For a psychiatrist, listening to one¡¯s patients was a necessary skill to have. When she did reply, she deliberately spoke very softly and warmly. Her voice, already pleasing, became as soothing as the March wind,fortably caressing one¡¯s ears. ¡°Are you disgusted when they act like that towards you?¡±


    ¡°Would you like to be treated differently, like a monster?¡±


    Amber shook her head. ¡°No one¡¯s saying that patients who have unusual mental diseases are different or are monsters. Mental diseases are just that, diseases. Just like how we can catch the cold and be feverish and cough, mental diseases are just the result of a key part of our body malfunctioning. It is wholly unrted to age, unrted to level of education and certainly unrted to monsters or things of the sort.¡±


    Such an exnation was feeble at best and Ian¡¯s face returned to his normal frosty expression, aloof and grim. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then why are you unwilling to be my girlfriend?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not that I¡¯m unwilling. Rather ¡­.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s go.¡± He interrupted her halfway and immediately turned around and left shortly after, leaving Amber with no time to react.


    She decided to follow him. ¡°Where to?¡±


    He didn¡¯t answer. The driver drove towards them, and then he opened the door to let her in.


    Amber stood still, not moving.


    ¡°Are you scared?¡± He cocked his head back slightly as he looked at her.


    ¡°No. But I feel like you should inform me of our destination, as a basic courtesy.¡±


    Ian simply replied, ¡°My office. Are youing?¡±


    Even though she didn¡¯t understand why Ian wanted them two to go to his office, Amber nheless still got into the car.


    At this point, she couldn¡¯t shirk back from her duty as a psychiatrist.


    During the drive, Ian didn¡¯t speak a single word. Amber, on the other hand, finally answered the call from before, it was from her colleague.


    Once the call connected, she immediately heard her colleague¡¯s exaggerated tone say, ¡°Oh, Dr. Amber, you¡¯re famous! Go on WhatsApp, quickly!¡±


    She refused to exin to Amber exactly what was going on, so Amber had no choice but to hang up and open WhatsApp, just as she had been instructed to. The first thing she saw was an image that had been posted on the psychiatry department¡¯s group chat.


    It was from an unknown person¡¯s friend group¡¯s chat. She opened it and read the caption, ¡°This actually happened in our hospital! In order to lighten his girlfriend¡¯s workload, some rich guy booked all of her appointment slots for the next few days.¡±


    The colleague who had sent out this image then said, ¡°Someone posted this image onto Instagram and then it started trending from there.¡±


    The othersughed. ¡°Hahaha, will there be reporters here to interview us tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°Heh, don¡¯t talk about tomorrow. Just this afternoon, the media has already been calling us to confirm the story.¡±


    ¡°Then has our Dr. Amber really be famous this time?¡±


    ¡°Call her out, we¡¯ve got to get her to treat us to a meal.¡±


    The group chat kept getting peppered with new messages. Amber looked at the shrinking scroll bar, sighing in dismay.

 Chapter 16. I HAVE MORE MONEY

    ¡°Mr. Axton.¡± Amber said as she showed him the chat messages. ¡°Thanks to you, I¡¯m famous now.¡±


    Ian nced at her phone and then coolly said, ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡± Amber¡¯s tone was sincere as she said, ¡°Actually, being famous is burdensome to me.¡±


    But Ian only replied with one word. ¡°Oh.¡±Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    Amber looked at him, took her phone back, and then purposefully kept her mouth shut for the rest of the drive. She hadn¡¯t known him for very long, but she understood one point clearly: as soon as his responses devolved to be monosybic, it meant that he had lost all interest in that subject, and that any further conversation on that matter would be useless.


    ***


    Ian actually did bring her to his office. His office was located at the Axton Hotel-the hotel where Amber had spent a night earlier.


    The morning after that night, Amber had finally clearly seen the face of the flourishing Axton it was a whole block wide, and themps along its walls lit up half the sky. With the scenic river behind it, the hotel was as beautiful as a castle out of a fairytale.


    Unlike the hotel¡¯s outer opulence, Ian¡¯s office was decorated quite simply in ck and white colors, its furnishings practical and without any unnecessary flourish. Upon entering, Amber¡¯s first impression was that everything was precisely ced. All the items seemed like orderly troops, arranged by height and charmingly positioned. The ambience of the office was so neat and tidy enough that it didn¡¯t feel like anyone had ever worked here.


    After sitting down at his desk, Ian immediately picked up the desk phone. ¡°Call Lawyer Shawn over.¡±


    Before Amber could even guess why he had called awyer here for, thewyer arrived.


    Ian gestured toward Amber with his chin as he said, ¡°Produce a contract for us two, and it should state that Ms. Amber will be my girlfriend. We will remain financially independent from each other. If this rtionship persists for a year, I¡¯ll give her ¡­.¡±


    As he said this, he turned around and asked Amber, ¡°How much would be a reasonable amount to give you?¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    Amber blinked, and then jokingly replied, ¡°A hundred million?¡±


    Ian thought about it, and then seriously said, ¡°You¡¯re not worth that much.¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    Her professionalism told her that, at this point, the only proper reply was, ¡°Whatever makes you happy.¡±


    Ian nodded, and then gave thewyer a value multiple times higher than Amber¡¯s current sry. Actually, it wasn¡¯t too far off from her mah jjong earnings from that one night.


    Thewyer seemed somewhat nonplussed by his strange request, clenching his pen tightly before finally reacting after seeing that Ian was getting impatient. After calming down, he recorded down the conditions that Ian had proposed and asked, ¡°Are there any corresponding privileges or responsibilities?¡±


    Ian dictated, ¡°One party has the right to ask for marriage, and the other party must be loyal.¡± He turned to Amber again. ¡°Does that seem problematic to you?¡±


    ¡°Can I even make any changes to the contract?¡±


    Ian had already turned back around to thewyer before she had finished speaking. ¡°Then, just this.¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    Thewyer looked at her somewhat sympathetically. ¡°Is this all?¡±


    Ian replied with a nod, ¡°Yes.¡±


    Thewyer nodded, leaving to formally draft the contract. Ian then exined the structure of the payment to Amber, but the information went into one ear and came out the other. Despite the unusual situations she had been seen and maneuvered through as a part of her job, this was the first time that she had ever encountered what Ian was doing.


    In fact, she was somewhat curious as to his motives. ¡°Why do you want such a contract?¡±


    Ian looked at her, his gaze serene. ¡°Because I like making things simple. This way, there are clear gains and losses: if we mesh well with each other, great. If not, we¡¯ll split up. Isn¡¯t that nice?¡±


    Systemizing and relegating emotions to contracts is a self-defense mechanism that people often use to deal with emotional trauma. Amber noted this peculiarity down in her heart, and then asked, ¡°Then why isn¡¯t it me who gives you money?¡±


    Ian¡¯s tone was as if he were dering that there were stars in the sky and the moon at night. ¡°Because I have more money than you.¡±


    That ¡­ was apletely irrefutable fact.


    ***


    Thewyer worked quickly. Before Amber could even finish thinking about what she should do next, the contract had already been written up.


    After thewyer brought the contract back into Ian¡¯s office, Ian motioned for him to show her the document first. Amber¡¯s original impression that this was nothing important had changed to something resembling anxiety. Ian¡¯s words were simple, but the contract that hiswyer produced was surprisingly formal. It followed the standard contract format: itid out the terms and conditions, rights and responsibilities, s well as a hefty fee for viting anything very clearly.


    Upon seeing that sum, she couldn¡¯t help but be more serious. Jut moving her eyes across all the numerous zeros was enough to make her dizzy. She then said, somewhat agonizingly, ¡°Mr. Axton, even if we can¡¯t be a couple, we can still be regr friends.¡±


    Ian was sitting on the other side of the table, ying with a jade-colored teacup in his hands. After hearing Amber¡¯s words, his posture didn¡¯t change, and neither did his expression. However, Amber suddenly felt a chill creep into her heart.


    Then he said, ¡°Send Ms. Camille out!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Axton ¡­.¡± Amber attempted to speak up, but as she opened her mouth, Ian had already turned to look at hiswyer.


    Originally somewhat hesitant, thewyer now quickly approached Amber, insistent but polite. ¡°Ms. Camille, please.¡±


    Amber didn¡¯t move. She looked at Ian, but he didn¡¯t look back at her, only coolly ying with the jade teacup in his hands. He constantly exuded a cold, chilly air that prevented others from getting close.


    She had a feeling that this was her one and only chance to get close to him, a chance that wouldn¡¯t ever happen again.


    Seeing herck of motion, thewyer stretched out his hand to grab her, but Amber avoided his grasp. ¡°I can sign the contract, but can I consult my ownwyer first?¡± Seeing the two both turn towards her, she weakly exined, ¡°The fee for breaking the contract is simply too high ¡­.¡±

 Chapter 17. MEET PARENTS

    ¡°I can sign the contract, but can I consult my ownwyer first?¡± Seeing the two both turn towards her, she weakly exined, ¡°The fee for breaking the contract is simply too high ¡­.¡±


    Silence.


    After a while, Ian finally waved his hand at her.


    Thewyer sat back down and Amber let out a sigh of relief before quickly moving outside to speak on her phone.


    In truth, she didn¡¯t have awyer at all, her actions were simply to dy signing the contract. Although she had many people in her contact list, most of whom were doctors, patients, rtives, and friends, and some of them werewyers, Amber had no actual ns of contacting any of them. Instead, her fingers moved unconsciously on her phone¡¯s keyboard and punched in on Calvin¡¯s name. Somehow, she ended up calling his number.


    As she listened to her phone ring while the call was connecting, her anxiety almost consumed her. What would she say if he did pick up? But as the ringing repeated, she became calm again.


    But Calvin didn¡¯t pick up.


    Amber put her phone away, smiled and then walked back into Ian¡¯s office. ¡°Give me the pen.¡±


    Thewyer handed her a pen, and Amber signed her own name on the somewhat ludicrous contract.


    Ian looked at herzily. ¡°Yourwyer didn¡¯t give you any advice?¡±


    As she signed her name, Amber said, ¡°His only advice was to not break the contract once I¡¯ve signed it. But ¡­.¡± She put down her pen, smiled at him, and then finished her sentence. ¡°If you end up finding someone else that you truly love and want to break the contract because of that, then I won¡¯t force you to pay any reparations.¡±


    He didn¡¯t respond, merely looking at her with a prating gaze while smiling coolly.? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    And it was that smile that finally erased any doubt left in Ian¡¯s heart. It made her feel like, even if she really did pay that astronomical fee, as long as she could reduce the despair in his smile by even a fraction. Then, as a doctor, it would be worth it.


    Having signed the contract as well, Ian brought Ian out again. This time, she was toozy to even ask where they were going, and the result of herziness was that they ended up going to Ian¡¯s house.


    Amber only realized this as she stepped inside. In her nervous haste, she stammered out some nonsense. ¡°We¡¯re? Going to your house?¡±


    Ian nodded.


    ¡°For ¡­ what?¡±


    ¡°After entering a rtionship, we naturally have to meet each other¡¯s parents, don¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    Ian¡¯s long legs propelled him forward with just a few strides. Ambergged behind, alone and assaulted by her thoughts.


    Just a few days ago, Silvia and the others had joked that they were going to give her an award for being a modelte-blooming wife and parent. But now, she was already at the stage where she was meeting her significant other¡¯s parents.


    But since she had already signed that ludicrous contract of her own will, the rest ¡­ didn¡¯t seem to matter so much, Amber despondently rationalized. The next time she met her ssmates, she was certain that she would receive a caring doctor award instead.


    ***


    The Axton family lived close to the southern shore, not far from the Axton Hotel and was situated in a very prosperous neighborhood. Their courtyard was exquisite and refined, there were two gigantic cherry apple trees in the courtyard, but despite the leaves turning yellow in the autumn air, not a single fallen leaf could be seen on the ground. The entire yard was clean and tidy. The stark contrast to the bustle and noise of the city led to an unusual feeling of peace and serenity.


    Since it was still quite early and Ian had shown up unannounced, only his grandparents were home. The two were both wearing sses and ying poker. Strangely enough, both of their faces had been drawn on with colored markers. Upon seeing Ian suddenly bring a girl home, they quickly started cleaning up.


    But the sofa and the table¡¯s mess was too big to be cleaned away that quickly. Ian nced at his surroundings idly as he said, ¡°Don¡¯t bother. I¡¯m just here to tell you that I have a girlfriend now. There¡¯s no more need to set me up on anymore blind dates.¡±


    Having spoken his piece, he quickly turned around to leave, but his grandmother ran behind him, calling out, ¡°Aiya, aiya! What¡¯s the hurry, we¡¯re almost done packing!¡± His grandfather, on the other hand, simply rushed forward and grabbed Ian¡¯s clothes.


    Ian stopped walking and lowered his head to look at his grandfather¡¯s hand. His grandfather let go of his clothes, which now had a big ck spot on them, it was a memento from the poker game the grandfather had been ying with his wife, which involved the winner drawing on the loser¡¯s face.


    Ian¡¯s grandfatherughed and patted at the spot on Ian¡¯s clothes. ¡°It¡¯s dirty, go get it washed.¡±


    Amber saw green veins bulge out on Ian¡¯s forehead. However, he managed to restrain himself, not saying anything and instead turning around and briskly walking up the stairs. Amber stopped herself fromughing. Turning around, she saw Ian¡¯s grandfather smiling at her. ¡°Come here and sit with us! That boy¡¯s a clean freak, so he probably won¡¯t be down until he¡¯s washed it for at least one or two minutes.¡±


    Ian¡¯s grandmother obligingly pushed everything off of the table and the sofa before the housekeeper could get to it, kicked it all underneath the sofa and then waved her hands at Amber. ¡°Come,e. Sit here.¡±


    As they said, there was usually a reason behind people bing clean freaks. Amber suddenly felt a bit ofpassion towards Ian. She sat next to Ian¡¯s grandparents, who were adorned with benevolent faces still marked from their poker game, which stressed her out an unusual amount. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to wash your faces?¡±


    ¡°Ah? Oh!¡± The two finally realized the state their faces were still in, and rushed to the washroom to wash their faces. When they returned, they had be two hale and hearty grandparents, meticulous in their appearance, Ian¡¯s grandfather had brushed his hair andbed it back and his grandmother had changed into new clothes and styled her hair into a tidy bun.


    The three people looked at each other, six eyes between them. Before Ian¡¯s grandparents could react, Amber finally recognized them. ¡°It¡¯s you two,¡± she said, somewhat surprised.


    ¡°You recognize us?¡±

 Chapter 18. GENERATIONS OF FRAUDS

    ¡°You recognize us?¡±


    Amber smiled. ¡°Not too long ago, we met at my teacher¡¯s ce.¡± Then, she reminded, ¡°My teacher is Nancy.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I remember!¡± Ian¡¯s grandmother stroked her palm as sheplimented, ¡°You were that eloquent, kind, caring, pretty doctor!¡±


    Amber blushed at her direct praise, smiling bashfully. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m a doctor.¡¯


    Ian¡¯s grandfather also seemed to remember her now. ¡°Oh yes, you¡¯re Professor Nancy¡¯s student, you treated my wife for her insomnia before. Let me tell you, my wife thinks very highly of you! She even wanted Professor Nancy to introduce you to our grandson, but Professor Nancy refused to do it, saying something about curing illnesses. Was she unable to cure his illness and so introduced him to you for you to try?¡±Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    His wife patted him on the back, expression serious. ¡°What are you talking about? Our grandson¡¯s totally normal!¡±


    Then she turned toward Amber with a smiling expression as she said, ¡°Our little Ian such a good man, handsome and capable and wealthy. Don¡¯t listen to what his grandfather¡¯s saying!¡±


    Amber also smiled at this scene. Because they had met before, she wasn¡¯t too surprised at their antics-one had to remember that, during their first meeting, they had already said that they wanted her to be their grandchild¡¯s wife. So, their current behavior could already be considered quite reserved.


    But despite her being willing to ede to Ian¡¯s request, she had never intended to mislead others. Once the two calmed down, Amber exined the situation to them. ¡°Actually, I¡¯m not Mr. Ian¡¯s girlfriend, but rather his doctor and this was done on my teacher¡¯s request.¡±


    ¡°His doctor? Impossible! He clearly said you were his girlfriend!¡± Both of Ian¡¯s grandparents refused to ept this reality.


    Amber was very patient in her exnation. ¡°That¡¯s false. The reason he did that was in hopes that you two stop pressuring him on that front. Actually, that¡¯s the reason why I came here with him today-to ask you to, as his family, be more patient with him and reduce his stress.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no stress of any sort,¡± Ian¡¯s grandfather said innocently. ¡°We haven¡¯t given him any stress either. As long as you be his girlfriend, he gets married and then you both have a little baby, we won¡¯t give him any stress at all.¡±


    Hearing this, Amber couldn¡¯t help but want to caress her forehead. Goodness, did this whole family consist of generations of frauds?


    ***


    Ian didn¡¯te back down the rest of that day. Instead, he called a driver to send Amber back home.


    Originally, Amber had wanted to chat some more with Ian¡¯s grandparents to understand Ian¡¯s background and his home environment while growing up.


    However, they were too agitated. Regardless of what topic she brought up, they were always able to maneuver the conversation back to questions like, ¡°When do you and Ian n on getting your marriage certificate? Do you want a grand wedding feast?¡±


    Or, they would say something like, ¡°The two of you aren¡¯t young anymore. Why don¡¯t you prepare to have a baby? His father doesn¡¯t care, but we¡¯re still young and can help you raise the kids.¡±


    In front of two grandparents excitedly hoping for great grandchildren, even the psychiatrist Dr. Camille waspletely and utterly defeated.


    ***


    When Amber returned home that day, she almost felt like there would be more surprises lying in wait for her. The entire day had seemed like a dream-from Ian forcefully booking all of her appointment slots, to Billy¡¯s appearance, to signing that contract with Ian ¡­ everything seemed so unrealistic.


    She fell into her bed, exhausted. But then she saw that Elly¡¯s nurse had sent her a video of Elly. It was getting close to night time and she had started bing active again, this time by repeatedly hitting the doorframe in an attempt to get out.


    Amber packed up some supplies and rushed to the hospital. On the way there, she received a call from Calvin, his tone apologetic from the very beginning. ¡°Sorry, I was busy and haven¡¯t been looking at my phone. Did you call?¡±


    Amber rapidly walked past a traffic light. ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Is something the matter?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. I just wanted to see how you were doing.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    The two didn¡¯t know what to say to each other.


    Time had caused them to drift apart. In the past, even when passing notes, they had an unlimited amount of subjects to talk about. But now, with cell phones to their respective ears, a slight awkwardness permeated even the sound of their breathing.


    Amber had already reached the hospital. ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, then I¡¯m going to hang up. I¡¯m busy right now.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Amber didn¡¯t have any time to reminisce about the past, she went straight to Elly¡¯s ward. When she arrived, she encountered a crowd of doctors and nurses on dutying out from the room.


    ¡°Dr. Camille, you¡¯re here?¡± One of her colleagues greeted her. ¡°We¡¯ve taken care of it.¡±


    Amber responded without much thought and instead turned her gaze into the ward. She saw Elly tightly bound to the bed, her four limbs were spasming, her gaze expressionlessly staring at the ceiling and her mouth emitting low moaning noises like a wounded beast.


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you guys going to wait for me?¡± Amber asked as she headed inside, her voice taking on a rare edge of censure.


    Behind her, the doctor that had just greeted her replied dismissively, ¡°What would have changed? Wouldn¡¯t we still have used a tranquilizer needle in the end? Rather, if you run around on such a cold night, wouldn¡¯t your rich boyfriend be worried?¡±


    Amber stopped and turned to look at him, finally recognizing him. When she recalled more, he was even her senior both of them had been Nancy¡¯s students.


    When Amber had started her doctoral program, he had been on the cusp of graduating, but when Amber had graduated, he was still at that cusp. Nancy had frequently said that he had a good family, a good background, but not good brains. She didn¡¯t understand why he wanted to be a doctor when he could simply lie back and rx.


    Amber huffed in exasperation even as she smiled at him. Before he could reciprocate, however, she steeled her expression and said seriously, ¡°Elly is my patient. Thank you for your help tonight, but I hope that you¡¯ll ask me before administering any other kind of treatment to her in the future.¡±


    Having said this, she turned and went into the ward, closing the door with a bang.


    As the door shut, she heard him outside, shouting, ¡°Eh, is she ming me?¡±

 Chapter 19. HE COULDN’T TAKE A JOKE

    Several of the nurses holding Elly down released their hands. At this point, Elly was slowly calming down.


    ¡°Dr. Camille ¡­.¡±


    Amber waved her hands in dismissal. ¡°I know how hard you all have been working these past few days, but you should all be familiar with the reason why I don¡¯t want to use tranquilizers. They can certainly make her calm down faster, but what about afterwards? Have you realized yet that every time you forcibly inject drugs into her body, she resists it more and more the next? Whether this is making her better or making her worse, others might not know, but shouldn¡¯t you all?¡±


    ¡°But we don¡¯t have a choice either. She isn¡¯t the only patient that¡¯s staying here. Once she starts making a disturbance, all the other patients will, too.¡± Upon seeing Amber¡¯s expression rxing, the speaking nurse used her eyes to direct the others to leave, before she lowered her voice and said to Amber, ¡°Dr. Camille, the other doctors said that your epting of this patient would be a lot of work for no reward because even if you cure her, even if she bes rational again, she would realize that she was the one who killed her grandmother, with whom she was living with ¡­ do you think that, with her mental condition, she could ever recover?¡±


    ¡°Then what should we do?¡± Amber looked at her. ¡°Should we let her live in her delusions, going about life like this?¡±


    Smiling, she continued. ¡°Ms. Kelly, I¡¯m a doctor. The first day I put on this white coat, my professor told me that this attire represents eight words, a worker for health, a caretaker of life.


    Before I met her, perhaps I could have pretended to not know. But after having met her, having her bing my patient, I must do my very best to help her. At the very least, I want to wake her up, so that she can make that decision for herself.¡±


    After everyone left, Amber stood alone in front of Elly¡¯s bed for a long time. Such a small, frail child, lying there without sound or breath, pitiful and lonely.


    She bent down in front of Elly, waving her hand lightly. ¡°Elly, do you want to get better?¡±


    But Elly didn¡¯t reply. She had fallen asleep, but wasn¡¯t sleeping well. Amber didn¡¯t know what Elly was experiencing in her dreams, but tears were streaming down her face.


    She wiped the tears from Elly¡¯s face time and time again, sitting in front of her bed for half the night. When it was close to midnight, Elly woke up briefly. At that time, the room was dim and the only light source was the soft starlight shining in from a window.


    Elly touched Amber¡¯s hand. ¡°Are you a ghost?¡±


    This was perhaps the time of day at which she was most normal. Without hysteria infecting it, her tender voice carried with it a confused innocence, characteristic of girls her age.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°How did you die?¡±


    ¡°Someone chopped off my head.¡±


    Elly then brightened up, mbered to her side and whispered into her ear, ¡°Someone also chopped off my head. It¡¯s not so bad.¡± She started giggling and then suddenly stared at Amber¡¯s back, somewhat frightened. ¡°There are so many ghosts, so many. Sst, don¡¯t startle them.¡±


    She pulled her nkets back andy back down, covering herself tightly. It was the same position that Amber had seen her in earlier that morning, when she had been sleeping like a corpse


    ***


    When Amber walked out of Elly¡¯s ward, it was already bright outside and theforting sunlight of deep autumn was shining in from the depths of the corridors. But it only illuminated a white wall.


    Instead of heading home, she went straight to the ssroom. Originally, she had decided to work for a while, but she had been told that the head of her department had sent word that she was to rest for a while.Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    Amber immediately felt like she had taken two arrows to the knee, her face so hot that one could fry eggs on it. All these years, she¡¯d been a diligent worker. Perhaps she wasn¡¯t the best performer in the department, but she had certainly never encountered as unusual a request for leave as this.


    The person who informed her looked at her expression andforted her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, a break¡¯s a break. If I were you, I¡¯d take a long vacation and just forget about work.¡±


    Amber tried to stem the rumors. ¡°I really don¡¯t have a filthy rich boyfriend. Booking my appointment slots was all someone else¡¯s nasty prank.¡±


    Her colleague merely dismissively replied. ¡°Yes, yes, I know. A prank.¡± She raised her head toward the ceiling and sighed. ¡°I also want a prank like this. Please, give me one!¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    Amber no longer said a word. She couldn¡¯t help but have to ept orders from his superiors, even though it was an order to take leave which was so rare that he almost never carried it out. With a heavy heart, Amber turned around and walked away from the hospital.


    ***


    With nothing to do, Amber could only return home. She slept the whole morning, and then called Ruby in the afternoon. ¡°Do you have time? If you do, drive me somewhere.¡±


    Since she was free, she had decided to explore Elly¡¯s neighborhood before her father returned,


    But Ruby rejected her. ¡°I¡¯m busy! Find a boyfriend to y with, only a boyfriend will be at your beck and call.¡±


    And then Amber suddenly thought of her brand new boyfriend Ian. She cradled her phone and considered her options for a moment before she took the contract out of her bag and called him. ¡°Mr. Axton, can I ask you a question?¡±


    She didn¡¯t know if Ian was busy, but it took him a while before he coolly responded, ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°As my boyfriend, will you perform some tasks for me?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°For example, driving me around and all that.¡±


    Ian thought for a moment before replying, ¡°Where are you?¡±


    Amber reported her address.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll send a chauffeur to fetch you.¡±


    ¡°A chauffeur? You aren¡¯ting yourself?¡±


    ¡°Why should I go?¡± Ian¡¯s voice was filled with confusion. ¡°I have money, enough to hire a dedicated chauffeur. Why should I go through the bother of driving myself?¡±


    Amberughed. ¡°Then, can I travel via ne?¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course.¡± Ian¡¯s replied without hesitation. ¡°Just let me know where the nearest airportnding bay is.¡±


    After taking an arrow to the knee, she then hit her foot with a stone she had picked up herself. This time, she even had to patiently persuade Ian to dismiss the idea of picking her up in a helicopter!


    Only now did Amber finally realize that Ian was really that rich and that he couldn¡¯t take a joke!


    Amber almost wanted to cry. ¡°No, no, I¡¯m really kidding. Don¡¯t take it seriously. Really, I don¡¯t need a helicopter, I¡¯m sure of that!¡±

 Chapter 20. Can’t Bear to Look her in the Eye

    Amber seriously felt that her understanding of patients suffering from emotional detachment was really too limited! She resolved herself to focus on Ian after Elly¡¯s illness improved. It wasn¡¯t just because of that astronomical contract-breaking fee, but also so that she could happily be friends with a rich guy.


    Speaking of Elly, Amber suddenly remembered that Ian seemed to have disyed some interest in her condition, so she mentioned it just as Ian was about to hang up. ¡°What I¡¯m nning to do involves that patient with Cotard¡¯s syndrome. Her family lives somewhat far away, so I might be borrowing your chauffeur for quite a while. Is that fine?¡±


    ***


    Ian didn¡¯t say anything, but when his chauffeur arrived and Amber got in the car, she found that Ian was sitting in the backseat.


    She couldn¡¯t help but smile. Under the sunlight, her eyes seemed to reflect the morning clouds in the sky. ¡°Hi. I¡¯m very happy to see you, Mr. Axton.¡±


    The chauffeur couldn¡¯t help but nce at her a few more times. However, Ian merely looked at her coolly and then lowered his head and refocused his attention on theptop in his hands.


    He still had unfinished work. The time he was spending with her had been squeezed out from an extremely tight schedule.


    Amber didn¡¯t bother him any further and sat at the front to help the chauffeur navigate. Elly¡¯s family lived in a small town by the next county. Even when driving at high speeds, it took them almost two hours to get there.


    The small town wasn¡¯t too prosperous, but it wasn¡¯t poor, either. On the streets were mostly newly built apartments. The Brown family lived at the end of the street, where a number of other families were clustered. Because the ¡°idental murder¡± incident had happened not too long ago, it was essentially still fresh in all the townspeople¡¯s minds. So, after asking around briefly, Amber and Ian quickly found the house they were looking for.


    The house seemed to also have been rebuilt recently and looked quite new. It was a three-story building with a medium-sized backyard, a tall wall, and a big metal door. Its features made it stand out even amongst a crowd of newly refurbished buildings.


    It looked as though her family was quite well-to-do.


    The metal gate was closed but not locked. Amber asked the woman who had led them there. ¡°Can we go inside and look around?¡±


    ¡°Go ahead,¡± she replied casually. ¡°But the door to their house is locked and you can¡¯t enter.¡±


    Amber nodded, pushed open the metal gate and entered the backyard. This was a ssic suburban courtyard, quite tidy, except for the junk and charcoal briquettes haphazardly scattered about a corner of the wall. Two small loquat trees had been nted near the wall, spreading a weak greenness in the rustling autumn wind.


    There were few traces remaining of that hair-raising scene of more than a month ago. If not for the seal on the door and a small, dark red bloodstain by the corner of the porch, perhaps nobody would notice that something like that had ever happened here.


    The woman that had led them here was quite cordial. After noticing that Amber had taken interest in the two loquat trees, she said, ¡°These trees came from my own backyard and were nted the year they renovated their house because the elderlydy said that her granddaughter enjoyed eating loquats.¡±


    ¡°Did the elderlydy get along well with her granddaughter?¡±


    ¡°Oh yes, of course. She would skimp on eating and buying new clothes for herself to support her, but thatss was no good. She didn¡¯t attend school or do anything productive, she fought the olddy all the way. From my perspective, Miss Lawyer.¡±


    The woman called Amber awyer because previously Amber had introduced herself as Elly¡¯s defensewyer upon asking for directions.


    ¡°Thatss wouldn¡¯t have had a good time here even if she were released from the hospital as she wouldn¡¯t be cared for by her father or wanted by her mother, especially not after going crazy. Why not leave her in prison. What if she kills someone again when she gets out? Insane murderers aren¡¯t responsible for their actions under thew, are they?¡±


    Amber didn¡¯t answer her questions and instead asked, ¡°Has Elly always lived with her grandmother? Where¡¯s her mother? Do they have any other rtives?¡±


    ¡°Oh, no. Their grandfather even moved in to live with his wife¡¯s family, what other rtives could they have? They just had one aunt, who stoppeding after Elly¡¯s father gambled her money away. As for her mother, she¡¯s bad too. Since she despises her family¡¯sck of wealth, she ran away after giving birth to Elly and even took their eldest son with her. They say that she didn¡¯t have enough money and even had to sell her son to get by.¡±


    ¡°But their house isn¡¯t too shabby. They can¡¯t be considered poor, can they?¡±


    The woman leading them fumbled for a moment, before finally responding, ¡°That only happened in thest two years, when Elly¡¯s father broke his gambling habit and went out to sea. There, he managed to get a bit of money to fix the house, they used to be really poor before.¡±


    ¡°And her mother never returned?¡±


    ¡°Never, why would she? After selling her son off and meeting the boss of a big corporation, why would shee back now that she¡¯s living a well-off life? Don¡¯t joke around.¡± Saying that, she turned and looked around tentatively, beforeing closer and softly whispering, ¡°Given that woman¡¯s promiscuous behavior, we all suspect that Elly isn¡¯t truly a member of the Brow family. However, her grandmother would have none of it, treating her like a little princess. But then ¡­.¡±


    She shrugged her hands. ¡°An ident happened.¡±


    Amber was silent. Regardless of how much she had just heard was truthful, she could imagine what sort of personality Elly would develop in this environment, introverted and self-abasing and if not undisciplined and out of control, then timid and strange.


    Sighing, she then asked, ¡°When did Elly start skipping school?¡±


    ¡°About two years ago.¡±


    ¡°Why was she unwilling to attend?¡±


    ¡°She just didn¡¯t want to go.¡±


    After saying that, the madam patted the nonexistent dust on her clothes. Amber noticed that her gaze had started avoiding her and her expression had be somewhat artificial. So, she quickly changed the subject. ¡°I say, Miss Lawyer, the police have already asked about all these things, so why are you still asking about them? We were all here when she killed her grandmother. She looked just like a little wolf child, frightening beyond belief. Even after that, even after she¡¯s gone crazy, are you still going to defend her?¡±


    Amber duly replied, ¡°That¡¯s the due process of thew.¡± She wanted to keep talking about Elly¡¯s school life, but the madam clearly didn¡¯t want to stay on this topic.


    Even when Amber asked her about where Elly¡¯s school was, she replied disdainfully, seemingly not wanting to answer. ¡°Why would you go to her school? Since she quit going to school, do you think that her teacher would have been able to stop her?¡±


    Her tone was caustic. Amber frowned, clearly realizing that she wouldn¡¯t be able to get anything else out of her. She walked around the Brown estate again, thanked her and then got back into the car.


    The madam came out with her, but didn¡¯t leave. Instead, she walked to another house and stood under its roof. Out of that house came ady about the same age as her. The two of them started talking and asionally nced at Amber and Ian.


    Amber drew her gaze back. ¡°Where to next?¡± the chauffeur asked.


    Amber opened an app on her phone, looking for nearby schools. Luckily, it wasn¡¯t too hard to figure out where Elly had gone. The town only had one kindergarten, one elementary school and the only middle school was over in the next town.


    Two years ago, Elly had been twelve and thus she should have been enrolled in middle school. She turned around and talked to Ian about what she had heard and then asked, ¡°At twelve years old, she should have been in sixth grade, just entering middle school. If I want to understand what her school life was like, do you think that I should go to her elementary or her middle school?¡±


    As she said this, Ian¡¯s gaze was fixed to his screen,pletely unresponsive. She didn¡¯t think he would respond, but unexpectedly, he replied, ¡°To the middle school.¡±


    Amber was slightly shocked. ¡°Why?¡±


    Ian¡¯s face looked like he was unableto bear it any further. He raised his head and asked, ¡°Were you really top of your ss in school?¡± His tone was mocking. ¡°With thissort of intellect, are you sure that the teacher wasn¡¯t just going easy on you?¡±


    Amber remembered that he had heard this on the night of Trysta¡¯s wedding, so she seriously responded, ¡°I think that it¡¯s more likely that my ssmates went easy on me. They saw how pretty I am, so they let me pickup the first ce position.¡±


    Ian didn¡¯t say anything, merelyfocusing his attention on her one half dimple, his thoughts self-evident.


    Amber guessed that discussing whether or not her half-dimple was beautiful or not with an obsessivepulsive maniac would be apointless endeavor, so she hurriedly coveredup that half of her face, and then continued asking. ¡°You haven¡¯t exined why we should go to her middle school over her elementary school.¡±


    ¡°What was her elementary school performance like?¡±


    ¡°I saw that her living room had many certificates and prizes, so I¡¯m sure that she did fine there.¡±


    ¡°Then that¡¯s it,¡± Ian said coolly. ¡°As someone who got through elementaryschool just fine, why would she quit just as soon as she entered middle school?¡±


    After hearing this, Amber pped her hands together. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s true.¡± Smiling, she praised him, ¡°You¡¯re awesome, I never thought about that.¡±


    Ian turned around, unable to bear looking her in the eye.? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.

 Chapter 21. START FINDING OUT

    Regardless of other things, ttering Ian appeared to be effective; at thevery least, he paid attention to her more now. Also, after arriving at the school, Ian shut hisptop and got out of the car with Amber.


    But he didn¡¯t go far. As Amber went to speak with the guard, he leaned against theside of the car, took out a cigarette, and started smoking.


    The guard at the school gate was a middleaged man in his forties. Amber revealedher identity and mentioned that she wanted to meet Elly¡¯s former homeroom teacher.


    ¡°She was sent away, sent away a long time ago.¡±


    ¡°Sent away?¡± Amber was shocked. ¡°But what about her other teachers?¡±


    ¡°She was only here for a semester, so the other teachers don¡¯t know her.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s alright, I¡¯d like to ask them a few questions anyway.¡±


    The guard was somewhat unwilling, but nheless, still made a call for her. Before long, a young teacher, who introduced him self as Mr. Stanley, hurriedly walked outside.


    ¡°Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Elly¡¯s defensewyer, Ms. Camille.¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you.¡± As Mr. Stanley said this, he looked at her somewhat strangely. ¡°Isn¡¯t Elly suffering from mental illness? Why does she have a defensewyer?¡±N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    She had forgotten that teachers knew more than the average olddy from a small town, and couldn¡¯t help but smile awkwardly. ¡°She hasn¡¯t been fully diagnosed yet, so we still have to confirm her situation.¡±


    Luckily, the teacher didn¡¯t request to see herwyer license or anything. He was very cooperative when Amber asked him her questions, but he didn¡¯t know very much. ¡°I only taught her a semester of math. That child didn¡¯t like speaking very much, so it was easy for the teachers to forget about her.¡±


    ¡°How were her grades?¡±


    ¡°Alright. Not too good but not too bad either.¡±


    ¡°How were her rtionships with her ssmates?¡±


    The teacher looked apologetic. ¡°I¡¯m not sure, sorry. I wasn¡¯t her homeroom teacher, so I really knew very little about her.¡±


    ¡°Then, do you remember any important incidents that involved Elly?¡±


    ¡°I only remember one thing, which I also told the police officers. There was one day where she wasn¡¯t paying attention in ssand was instead drawing in her notebook. I confiscated it, and her reaction was extreme: she screamed loudly, yelled, and even bitme.¡± As he spoke, he pointed at a section ofhis wrist. ¡°Right here. The swelling only dissipated after several days.¡±


    ¡°She likes drawing?¡±


    ¡°Probably. At any rate, if she had nothing to do, she would just draw. However, she never let others see what she was drawing.¡±


    ¡°Then, do you know why she quit school?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not too sure about this. At any rate, after a school break, she never came back to school again. Her former homeroom teacher even went to speak with her, but she seemed to have made her mind up to note back.¡±


    Amber frowned. A child whose grades weren¡¯t too bad surely wouldn¡¯t start hating school for no reason. Her final request was to meet with Elly¡¯s ssmates, but the students who had been in Elly¡¯s  year had already graduated and had gone to high school else where, with only a scant few remaining in this region. And not only that, but neither they nor their parents were willing to talk about this ssmate who had killed her own grand mother. So, meeting them wouldn¡¯t have been very beneficial.


    The math teacher was trying to decline Amber¡¯s request politely. Amber didn¡¯t push further either; it would have been useless. Once she left the school, she used purchasing things as an excuse to interview more people around the neighborhood, and even returned to Elly¡¯s elementary school. The information she received there was essentially the same as what Mr. Stanley had told her.


    Normally, Elly seemed to be a quiet, introverted,  untalkative, beautiful, but particrly gloomy girl.


    Those who lived a stifling life were very likely to develop some sort of extreme mental condition. This was the conclusion that Amber arrived at after spending the entire afternoon collecting information.


    Seeing that it was past noon, Amber started to feel hungry. She asked Ian, ¡°Do you want to eat anything? I¡¯ll pay.¡±


    Ian gazed at his surroundings and said nothing.


    This meant that he was disdainful, so Amber turned around and asked the chauffeur ,¡±Mr. Axton doesn¡¯t seem to be hungry yet, but do you want to get lunch with me?¡±


    The chauffeur looked at Ian and after seeing that he didn¡¯t object, got out of the car and walked to a little restaurant that looked somewhat clean.


    This ce was quite far from the Brown¡¯s family house, close to the middle of the town. From this restaurant, one could barely see the front gate of the middle school that Elly had attended.


    The owners of the restaurant were a middle-aged couple. Because it was already past lunchtime, there were only two people eating noodles in the restaurant. The wife was sitting at the door of the kitchen plucking vegetables, and the husband looking over bills from the counter. Seeing the twoe in, he enthusiastically asked, ¡°Would you like something to eat?¡±


    Amber and the chauffeur looked at the menu and ordered three dishes and soup. The chauffeur was worried that his boss would be hungry, and so, he considerately asked for a new bowl from the owner, washed it, and then brought it over to Ian. However, it was returned in the exact same condition.


    Amber upon seeing his dejected expression, smiled. ¡°Was he unwilling to have it?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± The driver wanted to sigh. ¡°He said that he wasn¡¯t hungry.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s eat by ourselves.¡± Amber was indifferent towards Ian¡¯s predilections. By this point, their food had arrived. Amber tried a bite: the taste wasn¡¯t too good. It was too oily. But the portions were big, and they didn¡¯t care too much because they were hungry.


    After the owner¡¯s wife brought the food out, she even took the initiative to ask, ¡°Are you two here to hear about Elly¡¯s story?¡±


    Given how many people there were in the little town, there were essentially no secretsin this ce, and Amber was eye-catching in terms of both her attire and her looks. So no matter what she asked, people would learn about it in no time.


    Amber nodded. ¡°Yes.¡± She smiled at the owner¡¯s wife. ¡°Do you know her?¡±


    ¡°Of course, who wouldn¡¯t know her in this town?¡±


    ¡°Then are you familiar with her?¡±


    ¡°Somewhat, My restaurant is right here, so Iessentially know all the students who study here.¡±


    ¡°Then what was your impression of Elly?¡±


    ¡°Nothing much. She didn¡¯t like to talk and was always alone. Ah, what¡¯s she to you? Why are you here asking about her? Isn¡¯t she crazy now?¡±

 Chapter 22. Don’t Smile at Me

    Amber only answered her first question. ¡°I¡¯m the defensewyer that the court appointed to her. Do you know whether she had good friends or ssmates with whom she was close?¡±N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure about that. At any rate, I always saw her alone. ording to me, if she¡¯s crazy, then she should be locked up in a mental institution; if she¡¯s not crazy, and actually was willing to kill her own grandmother, then she should be locked up all the more. How frightening.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Amber could onlyugh bitterly. This was the stance of almost the entire town-everyone hoped that Elly would vanish from the world or at the very least, nevere back.


    Amber kept feeling that these towns folk¡¯s enmity and rejection were somewhat strange because, through out her entire time here, she heard almost no one express sympathy for the girl. It was mostly deep hatred and fear.


    Amber felt very perplexed. ¡°Despite thebfact that Elly killed someone, given her state of mind, it wouldn¡¯t be out of ce to say that it was idental. So why are you all so afraid of her?¡±


    The owner¡¯s wife wanted to say more, but the owner loudly pped the table by the counter. ¡°Stop chatting. Can¡¯t you smell the dishes burning in the kitchen?¡±


    The owner¡¯s wife quickly retreated back into the kitchen. Amber turned around, and saw the owner smile at her. ¡°The women here are generally quite timid; please don¡¯t pay the many attention, Ms. Lawyer.¡±


    Such an exnation was pushing it a littlebit, but Amber didn¡¯tment on it any further. She could see that the owner didn¡¯t want her to continue pursuing this thread of conversation, even to the point of forbidding his wife from speaking any further.


    After eating, Amber didn¡¯t leave immediately. Instead, she decided to wait until school was over. Perhaps, if she was lucky, she would be able to meet one or two students who knew, or rather, were familiar with Elly.


    But Ian¡¯s hunger was also problematic. Luckily, just as she was leaving the restaurant, she saw an olddy pushing a small pushcart and selling roasted sweet potatoes. The small charcoal cooked sweet potatoes gave off an enticing aroma from far away.


    She ran over to buy a few, but when shere turned, she found that Ian had gotten out of the car at some point, and was smoking not far away from the car. His posture was very handsome; one hand was grasping the cigarette, the other in his shirt pocket, a small indent between his eyes, and his expression ultimately cool. From a far, he seemed just like a mountain stream in adistant forest, shrouded in an aura of mystery.


    Amber waved the roasted sweet potatoes in front of his nose. ¡°Do you want some?¡±


    Ian didn¡¯t even nce at it.


    ¡°Are you worried about it being dirty?¡± Amber smiled, took one out of the bag, and slowly peeled it. ¡°The nature of clean freaks is to like dirty things. This potato looks gray and patchy, ck and dirty, but once you peel off the outeryer of skin, the inside is sweet and tasty. Won¡¯t you try it?¡±


    Saying this, she held out the now peeled sweet potato to him, smiling.


    Ian didn¡¯t take it, instead looking critically at her. ¡°Don¡¯t smile at me,¡± he said calmly, ¡°When you smile, you look repulsively ugly!¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    Just as she was about to take her hand back,  Ian lowered his body and bit the proffered sweet potato that she had peeled.


    He swallowed one bite and thenmented somewhat distastefully, ¡°It isn¡¯t sweet enough.¡± After saying this, he took another bite. The small sweet potato that Amber had peeled was finished off in just two bites.


    And he even ate it very elegantly; after he was done, his mouth was clean and stainless.


    Amber thought to herself, This is a patient, don¡¯t bother bickering with him. Just as she was about to ask if he wanted more, her gaze suddenly turned sharp, and she pulled him a side.


    A big ssh could be heard, and then Amber suddenly found that her back was damp, and her body chilled to the core.


    A slop bucket that had been left out for who knew how long, dirty and smelly, had just been thrown at Amber. Almost immediately, a thick, sour odor assaulted Amber¡¯s nose.


    She was petrified with shock, standing there frozen and wet. The one who had thrown the dirty water all over her was an old grandmother with a slightly bent back. When she had approached them with a dirty bucket, Amber thought that she was nning to dump out her trash somewhere. But only a momentter, she had seen her hoist the bucket up high, and aimed its contents at Ian.


    Amber¡¯s taking the shot for Ian was a subconscious act; she had originally nned to merely pull him out of the way. However, because he was tall and heavy, even though she managed to pull him away, she had also thrown herself into the line of fire.


    The old grandmother didn¡¯t leave even after pouring the filthy water all over her, staringat her with a fierce expression as her mouth mumbled foul words in a dialect Amber couldn¡¯t understand.


    Ian¡¯s chauffeur had been listening to music on his phone in the car, but uponhearing themotion, his heart almost stopped beating. He immediately ran over and grabbed the old grandmother, but just as he was about to shove her, Amber quickly stopped him. ¡°Don¡¯t touch her!¡±


    The old grandmother looked frail and elderly. If anything were to happen, they would be in big trouble.


    The chauffeur looked at Ian. He coldly nodded, so the chauffeur slowly let goof the olddy. But he didn¡¯t leave, and stood in front of Ian and Amber alertly. ¡°I¡¯m telling you, don¡¯t think that you can get away with things just because you¡¯re old! You can¡¯t suddenly pour water on people. Are you crazy?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t totally clear if the old grandmother had understood him, but she spat at the chauffeur and loudly scolded him.


    The surroundings were quickly filled with people gawking at the scene. Even the restaurant owner¡¯s wife came running out. When she saw Amber and the two men being scolded out of the blue, she hurriedly tried to dissuade the old grandmother from provoking them further. ¡°Old grandmother, please don¡¯t scold them anymore. They¡¯re here because they were appointed by the court. They don¡¯t want to be part of it either.¡±


    The olddy didn¡¯t care, and kept on scolding them even after throwing the bucket at them.


    Amber didn¡¯t say a single word. The restaurant owner¡¯s wife got some people to restrain the olddy and pulled Amber side. ¡°You¡¯re young, so please don¡¯t get too worked up by what old people say.¡±


    Despite the cmity that had be fallen Amber, she really didn¡¯t want to pursue the matter with the olddy any further. However, she had to understand what was going on. ¡°Who is this olddy, and what¡¯s she so angry about?¡±

 Chapter 23. AN ACHE IN THE HEART

    The restaurant owner¡¯s wife knew her. ¡°She¡¯s just an old woman who lives alone right around here. She used to have a son, but he was spirited away by Elly¡¯s mother when they were young. Then, Elly¡¯s mother found another man to live a good life with, where as her son ended updying in an ident. Thus, she hates the gutsof the Brown family. I don¡¯t know who told her that you were serving as Elly¡¯s defense attorney, but she was so angry that she came right over to cause trouble.¡±


    After hearing the background, Amber was rendered speechless.


    The restaurant owner¡¯s wife then tried to persuade her, saying, ¡°If you¡¯ve already cleared things up, then leave quickly. That olddy¡¯s really stubborn, and she mighte back againter. Given how old she is, regardless of whether you win or lose againsther, it won¡¯t end up well for you.¡±


    This was true. Amber¡¯s scalp felt numb when she nced back at that olddy whose frail body belied her surprising attack power. She thanked the woman, and then told Ian, ¡°You guys can leave first.¡±


    She was still drenched in the disgusting slop, so she couldn¡¯t get in the car with them.


    Ian didn¡¯t say a word. He seemed to be in a daze, thinking about something.


    And it was then that he looked different from regr people.


    Amber didn¡¯t want to disturb him, and only wanted the chauffeur to take him away quickly. She didn¡¯t know if the chauffeur knew about Ian¡¯s unique disposition, as he was a bit anxious, even asking her, ¡°What about you?¡±


    Before Amber could respond, Ian said, ¡°Go on ahead and find a hotel, get a room, and buy a set of new clothes.¡±


    Once he finished speaking, Amber and the chauffeur looked at each other, exhaling simultaneously.


    His ns were thoughtful and Amber had no problems with them. The chauffeur followed his orders and drove off. Only then did Ian look in the direction of the olddy again before directly leaving.


    He walked quickly. Because Amber was scared of bothering him with her smell, she didn¡¯t rush to catch up with him, and instead walked slowly behind him.


    As they walked, even though Amber had discarded her totally ruined jacket long ago, she still attracted all sorts of attention. As she shivered in the cold, she had to continuously tell herself, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Only random strangers who don¡¯t know you are looking at you.¡±


    It was just that there were a few by standers who were also taking pictures of her with their phone, so she had to lower her head and hope that her face hadn¡¯t been exposed.


    Luckily, the hotel that the chauffeur made a reservation at wasn¡¯t too far away, and he was back in ten or so minutes.


    ***


    The hotel wasn¡¯trge, but the lobby was very new; the hotel had probably opened quite recently. Ian waited at the front of the hotel, watching her walk over while covering her head and face.


    ¡°Here?¡± Seeing him standing still, she asked.


    Ian nodded.


    The chauffeur had just finished checking in and was about to buy a new set of clothes for her. Seeing her, he quickly said, ¡°The room card is at the front office. Please go up first, and I¡¯ll have someone bring the clothes over when they¡¯re ready. Right, what sizes do you wear?¡±


    Letting a random man buy her clothes made her somewhat want to go ¡®Ng.¡¯ ¡°Thanks, just a small jacket will do, please.¡±


    The chauffeur nodded. After Amber entered the room, she heard him ask, ¡°Director Axton, will you be finding a ce to stay too?¡±


    She didn¡¯t pay too much attention to Ian¡¯s reply. The only thought in her mind now was to take a shower and change her clothes.


    Her body was simply ¡­ too smelly!


    Amber took the longest and most careful bath she had ever had in her entire life, even washing her hair thrice. When she finally came out, she was unable to smell even atrace of sourness.


    After picking up her phone, she saw an unread message from Ian. ¡°Your clothes are at the door.¡±


    When she opened the door, she indeed found arge paper bag outside. She took it inside, opened it, and noticed that the inside contained not only a jacket, but also a pair of jeans, a warm undershirt, and a box of disposable underwear.


    When she remembered that a man had bought all of this, Amber felt ufortable from head to toe. But since it had already been bought, no matter how she felt, she had to change. Her original set of clothes was too smelly and oily,pletely unwearable.


    Besides her new jeans being slightly toorge, the rest of the clothes fit her well. After Amber finished changing into her new set of clothes, she went around in a circle downstairs, and then finally found Ian¡¯s car parked outside. The windows were down; Ian sat inside on the phone, hisptop on his knees as normal.


    His chauffeur, on the other hand, seemed to be gone.


    Amber waited for Ian to hang up before approaching him. As she came closer, Ian unconsciously moved away from her.N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    She felt slightly embarrassed. She stood still, smelling herself delicately. ¡°Do I still smell bad?¡±


    Ian looked at her. Perhaps it was because she had just taken a bath, but Ian¡¯s whole body exuded a warm and inviting feeling. It was as clear as a polished crystal, and so clean that it made others want to take a bite out of her.


    It was a pity that she didn¡¯t realize that herself, instead turning around to gaze at her surroundings. ¡°Is it just you?¡±


    Ian ignored her.


    Amber continued, saying, ¡°The chauffeur, Mr. Charlie, bought the clothes, didn¡¯t he? Where is he? I¡¯ll pay him back.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not necessary.¡± Ian said coolly. He looked at her. ¡°This is your payment for helping me avoid a cmity.¡±


    ¡°Er,¡± Amber stuttered. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t it be mereaping what I¡¯ve sown?¡±


    Ian shut hisptop, casting side long nces at her. ¡°But you seem to be happy about reaping what you¡¯ve sown?¡±


    Amber shrugged her shoulders. ¡°Then what should I do? Cry? Unfortunately, crying can¡¯t solve my problems. Further more, after cleaning myself, I¡¯m as good as new again. So what¡¯s there to be mad about?¡±


    Her words were humorous, and Ian couldn¡¯t help but curl up his lips slightly upon hearing them.


    ¡°It¡¯s getting quitete. When are the two of you nning to return?¡±


    Ian¡¯s hand, which was resting on hisptop, shook. He raised his head. ¡°You two?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I n on staying here for a night because I keep feeling like there are still some questions that I haven¡¯t investigated fully.¡±


    ¡°Of course there are problems,¡± Ian said with augh. ¡°At the very least, that old widowed grandmother who tossed a bucket at you has problems. If she were really living by herself, then her bucket wouldn¡¯t have been filled with so much stuff.¡±


    Amber blinked. ¡°What stuff?¡±

 Chapter 24. DOCTOR VS INTELLIGENT PATIENTS

    ¡°What stuff?¡±


    Amber really hadn¡¯t noticed this, mainly because she had been so shocked at the time that she hadn¡¯t been able to think about anything else.


    Ian¡¯s voice was ice cold as he replied, ¡°The most identifiable objects that she flung out at you were potatoes, mushrooms, tomatoes, and noodles. Perhaps if there were only one type of food it would be a coincidence, but what about multiple types?¡±


    Amber understood immediately. The items that Ian had mentioned were exactly what they had ordered for lunch. The left over vegetables and rice in a restaurant were usually poured into a bucket to be dealt withter.


    Something like that could be sold for money; for example, some people would buy it specifically to feed their pigs, and people wouldn¡¯t generally throw it away carelessly. If the old grandmother¡¯s bucket of foul water had reallye from the restaurant, then the behavior of the restaurant owner¡¯s wife after wards was worth considering carefully.


    ¡°She truly seemed to be trying to help us, but it felt more like she wanted to quickly scareus away ¡­ Does this mean she doesn¡¯t want us to keep investigating?¡±


    Although Ian didn¡¯t say anything, his face revealed an expression of disdain at how long it had taken her to figure it out.


    Ignoring his facial expression, Amber merely sighed again as she said, ¡°So the crux of the matter lies with the restaurant owner¡¯s wife? Not only does she know Elly, but she also probably has some deeper connection with her.¡± Upon realizing this, she became agitated. In her excitement, her two hands extended into the car and grab bed hold of Ian¡¯s wrist.


    ¡°Ah, what are you looking at?¡±


    Ian slightly tilted his head, his gazending on her hand, her finger tips just like spring onions, as white as jade.


    Unexpectedly, he didn¡¯t find it dirty. Instead, an ache in his heart sprang out of nowhere. Her finger tips reminded him of the jade tea pet that he often yed with in his office, which was the same shade of translucent, warm white.


    But the tea cup was cold and hard. He idly wondered what her finger tips would feel like.


    And, as he thought of this, Ian raised his left hand and lightly caressed Amber¡¯s hand.


    Amber¡¯s hand was very warm. Warm and soft, apletely different feeling from his tea pet.


    Ian grabbed his own hand and put it down. Through out the whole process, Amber didn¡¯t even realize that Ian had ¡®gently¡¯ caressed her. She even felt somewhat bad that she had touched her patient like that,ughing awkwardly and saying, ¡°Sorry to offend you. I didn¡¯t mean anything by it.¡±


    Ian answered suavely with a nonverbal grunt.


    Amber asked Ian about his sincere thoughts. ¡°I think that the townsfolkare acting very strangely. Elly hasn¡¯t done anything particrly vicious or evil besides the incident with her grandmother, but from start to finish, I haven¡¯t heard a single word of pity or regret for her.¡±


    Ian wasn¡¯t paying much attention to her question. He lowered his head to lookat his fingertips, which seemed to possess remnants of the softness and fineness that he had felt earlier. Lightly stroking them, he put his hand to his nose and sniffed. Upon raising his head, he found that Amber was staring at him, eyes wide.


    Ian sat up straight, put down his hand, and with his face unflinching, said, ¡°How smelly!¡±


    She instantly understood the phrase she had heard on the Inte, ¡®smiling on the outside and looking down disdainfully on the inside.¡¯ Even though she knew that Ian couldn¡¯t be understood through normal means and that he couldn¡¯t be simply asked to behave like a regr person, but after she had washed her hair and bathed three times, almost rubbing an entireyer of skin off of her body, for her to still hear suchan evaluation, it really ¡­ made her heart clench!


    She struggled to maintain her disposition, only able to awkwardly apologize again. ¡°Sorry for disgusting you with my smell.¡±


    Ian grunted once again.


    ¡°¡­.¡±Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    His responses really made her want to hit him. She took a deep breath, firmly deciding not to make life difficult for herself. ¡°Hm, I think that this will only be harder with three people. Given how busy you are, why don¡¯t you go back first? I can take the car here myself tomorrow.¡±


    Unfortunately, her suggestions to him were always viewed as useless words. Ian got out of the car and non chntly said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Go? Go where?¡±


    He turned his head around, expression grave and stern. ¡°Didn¡¯t you want to investigate some more?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m scared of disgusting you with my smell again.¡±


    ¡°No problem,¡± Ian said lightly. ¡°Since you said that the nature of clean freaks is to like dirty things, I¡¯ve decided to give it a try.¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    It was often said that, when doctors had to treat intelligent patients, or when police encountered intelligent criminals, they often ended up scratching their heads. This was because, from just a moment of in attention, these intelligent people would entrap you in their routine.


    But Ian¡¯s words were much more problematic than that. Put in a different way, it sounded as if he were confessing to her that he would like to try her out.


    Unintentional words often held a grain of truth in them, but at this moment, neither Amber nor Ian had realized it yet.


    Amber was more or less an easy going person, so despite her suggestion being rejected by Ian, she wouldn¡¯t stop him froming along if he insisted.


    Thus, the two of them left the hotel and returned to the school. This time, Amber had prepared herself adequately; in order to avoid being drenched with foul water again, she was wearing a hat and a scarf now, covering herself up from head to toe. The little town¡¯s resources were limited and her clothes were of average quality, so she seemed quite inconspicuous.


    As for Ian, well, he simply decided to not walk with her. By the time they got there, the restaurant had already closed, and it was about when school was out. The trafficon the road and streets had increased suddenly, and little stalls had also popped up by the roadside near the school.


    At once, the smell of food and the dust brought about by the traffic mingled through the air. Ian had stopped far from the scene and was frowning at the sight, almost as if he were watching a horror flickset in another dimension.

 Chapter 25. DO AS YOU LIKE

    Amber didn¡¯t force him and walked slowly forward alone. From Ian¡¯s viewpoint, she seemed like a strange auntie. She was waving around a piece of ham sausage and twisting and turning around, sometimes drawing close to one or two lone children. She knew to pick out the older children, but she still had little luck in her endeavors.


    When most of the crowd had dispersed, she walked back toward him, expressiond ejected.


    Ian raised his eyebrows.


    Amber said, ¡°No luck. Most of the children don¡¯t remember her, or even if they have heard of her name, they only have a superficial impression of her. Either she¡¯s a murderer or a crazy person.¡±


    As expected. ¡°Are you going to keep trying?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we have to at least try.¡± She didn¡¯t have much vacation time rued, so given that the hospital had given her a small ¡®vacation,¡¯ she had to make the most of it before going back and facing Elly. ¡°Staying here for a night is just like a vacation, even if we¡¯re not able to find anything out.¡±


    ¡®At least she¡¯s very mentally healthy¡¯. Ian didn¡¯t say anything, his gaze stopping on the remaining ham sausage in her hand.


    The ham sausage looked somewhat evil, but it also smelled surprisingly good.


    Amber immediately realized what was on his mind. ¡°Are you hungry?¡± Her palm lightly touched the ham sausage. ¡°It isn¡¯t tasty if it¡¯s cold. Since everyone¡¯s about to have dinner, we can¡¯t investigate right now either. Why don¡¯t we find a ce to eat too?¡±


    As she said this, she threw the ham sausage away and took out her phone. She asked some friends, ¡°I¡¯m at ¡­ does anyone know if there¡¯s a clean, sanitary, decent ce to eat around here?¡±


    It turned out that one of her ssmates did know a good ce nearby; he had been a safety engineer who had worked in the region for a decent amount of time, and was rtively familiar with the ce.


    He sent over the name of a restaurant, which Amber searched up on her phone. It was a small agricultural restaurant, not too far from Elly¡¯s home.


    ¡°What do you think?¡± she asked as she held out her phone to Ian¡¯s face.


    Ian nced at it for a moment, seemingly uncaring. ¡°Do as you like.¡±


    That was the most annoying answer to give when two people were trying to decide where to eat, because those who said they were fine with anything were usually the hardest to satisfy. Amber sighed, deciding that she needed another person to deal with Ian. She then said, ¡°Let¡¯s call Mr. Charlie over as well.¡±


    Mr. Charlie was Ian¡¯s chauffeur.


    And Ian said, ¡°No, he already has ns.¡±


    So it¡¯ll only be the two of them, and she would have to pamper him? Amber very much wanted to refuse, but after thinking about how he hade so far apanying her, she relented. Fine, she would pamper him in order to understand him better as a patient.


    Amber quickly dispelled her mental block, and the two drove over to that restaurant. Honestly, the scale of the ce wasrger than Amber expected, and the service they received was surprisingly good. Ian requested a new, never-before-used te, which they procured rapidly.


    It was just that the dishes them selves


    weren¡¯t great. Ian clearly didn¡¯t enjoy the food very much, and only ate a small portion of each dish. Amber was quite embarrassed, resolving once again to finish her investigations early so that they could return by nightfall.


    After having dinner, they went back to the newly renovated za. Apparently, it was very crowded at night: parents brought their children out here to have fun, some people danced, and others yed ball.


    Amber didn¡¯t know whether to call her luck good or bad, because even though the za wasn¡¯t particrly big nor particrly small, she still managed to run into someone she recognized-Elly¡¯s middleschool math teacher.


    And the math teacher even recognized her first, running over to greet her. ¡°Ah, Lawyer Camille? You¡¯re still here?¡±


    Amber hesitated for a moment before recovering with a smile, and then pointed at Ian, who was by her side. ¡°Yes, I saw that the environment here seemed pretty nice, so I¡¯ve been staying in the area with my boyfriend.¡±


    Ian looked at them coolly, without any intention of ying along. Amber started sweating.


    Luckily, the math teacher seemed to believe her, and even started pointing out the scenic areas around to her.


    As they were talking, a four or five year old girl ran over and hugged his leg. ¡°Daddy! I want to y with that.¡± As she spoke, she pointed at a thing that was jumping into the sky like a falling star.


    There were also toy stalls at the za, and Amber guessed that the little girl wanted to y with some kind of toy.


    Following behind the little girl was a woman about the same age as Mr. Stanley. Seeing the child behave the way she did, she stated somewhat angrily, ¡°Ignore her. She wants everything that she sees. It won¡¯t do for us to indulge her too much.¡±


    Upon hearing this, the little girl began to cry and make a fuss, kicking and tearing at Mr. Stanley¡¯s feet.


    Mr. Stanley and his wife were unable to deal with their child¡¯s fuss. Neither harsh words nor scolding seemed to be effective.


    Amber couldn¡¯t stand to watch anyfurther, and helped them coax the little girl into calming down. ¡°If you stop crying, this auntie will give you some candy, alright?¡± She retrieved a handful of sweets from her bag, holding it up in front of her.


    The candies were wrapped beautifully invibrant colors, and were quite eye-catching when she held them in her hand. The girl didn¡¯t seem all that pacified, but she still quickly grabbed them from Amber¡¯s palm.


    Her small hands couldn¡¯t grab all of them, and a few dropped onto the ground. Amber helped the girl pick them up and put them inher clothes¡¯ pockets, and even ced one into her mouth.From N?velDrama.Org.


    This sort of candy was cloyingly sweet, but the child seemed to like it, finally quieting down as she patted her pocket.


    Mr. and Mrs. Stanley were grateful for her assistance, and Amber waved her hands in embarrassment. ¡°It was nothing.¡±


    The little girl¡¯s mother saw that she was pretty young, and asked, ¡°Is your child in middle school?¡±


    She thought that Amber was the parent of some kid from her husband¡¯s ss.


    Amber shook her head. ¡°No.¡± She then repeated what she had said in the morning. ¡°I¡¯m the court-appointedwyer for Elly Brown¡¯s case. Originally, I came here to investigate a few matters pertaining to the case, but after seeing that this ce was pretty nice, I stayed for a few extra days to look around.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Elly¡¯swyer ¡­.¡± The little girl¡¯s mother nced at her husband¡­.

 Chapter 26. [Untitled]

    ¡°Oh, Elly¡¯swyer ¡­.¡± The little girl¡¯s mother nced at her husband before asking, ¡°Isn¡¯t she crazy? Does a crazy murderer need awyer too?¡±


    ¡°Yes. The main purpose is to verify whether or not Elly¡¯s mental illness is real.¡±


    ¡°It should be real. She was always running up that hill for some unknown reason, hiding in the grave yard at night. If she were normal, why would she do something like that?¡±


    ¡°Really? Did you know her?¡± Amber felt invigorated by the promising information. ¡°Then do you know when Elly started exhibiting such behavior?¡±


    ¡°Probably a year or two ago.¡±


    ¡°And in thesest two years, did she encounter anything unusual?¡±


    ¡°Something unusual ¡­ I¡¯m not sure.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Before she could finish, the little girl eating candy by the side crisply replied, ¡°She was bullied by her ssmates, and then she went crazy.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying!¡± Both the Stanley reprimanded her at the same time. Mr. Stanley even for sook his kind demeanor, pulling at the little girl¡¯s arm harshly.


    The little girl, shocked and frightened, dropped all of her candy onto the ground and started to cry.


    Amber wanted to go over and pacify the little girl, but Mr. Stanley blocked her. He quickly pushed the child behind him and said, ¡°Sorry for the bother, our child was speaking non sense. If there isn¡¯t anything else, then we¡¯ll be leaving.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Stanley,¡± Amber said in an attempt to stop him. ¡°Your behavior makes me suspect that you¡¯re rted to Elly¡¯s bullying incident.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Mr. Stanley, who had wanted to walk around Amber, stopped short, nced at his wife to instruct her to leave with their child first, and stayed behind to look at Amber. ¡°What do you mean, rted? As awyer, aren¡¯t you aware that libel is a crime?¡±


    ¡°Pardon me, but I¡¯m not using you. I¡¯m just saying that your actions could potentially spur misunderstandings.¡±


    ¡°Misunderstandings? What misunderstandings?¡± Mr. Stanleypletely dropped his warm and caring demeanor, and spoke fiercely. ¡°Just based on what a little child said?¡±


    ¡°Children¡¯s words can indeed serve as evidence in court, as long as their words are logical.¡±


    ¡°Then why don¡¯t you have her go to court? If we hide her away, what can you do?¡± And with those words, Mr. Stanley turned around and left in a hurry.


    Amber chased after him for a few steps, but given that the light sources in the za were rather weak and how many people there were, she lost sight of him quickly.


    Turning back, she found that Ian was still standing at their original location,pletely non chnt as usual.


    ¡°Ah, you should have helped me stop him from leaving.¡± She wasn¡¯t grumbling, just saying whatever popped into her mind.


    But who would have expected Ian to reply, ¡°How¡¯s it my problem?¡±


    Given that he had been so helpful this entire trip, his sudden question left Amber lurching in surprise. After she recovered, she joked, ¡°Aren¡¯t we friends? As friends, don¡¯t you have a moral obligation to help me?¡±


    Ian nced at her deeply, until even Amber felt embarrassed. She touched her nose, and changed the topic. ¡°Eh, shall we go then? It¡¯s fine even if we didn¡¯t stop him. He has a name and a position, and I can always find himter whenever I want.¡±


    Amber had conscientiously found a wayout of her embarrassing situation. Ian didn¡¯t say anything, but after the two got back into the car and had driven far away, he suddenly said, ¡°I¡¯ll try my best!¡±


    At that point, Amber had been looking at Ruby¡¯s chat. After he had finished his duties, he had seen her post, remembered her request, and asked, ¡°You¡¯re not on break today, so why are you travelling so far?¡±


    Amber was just thinking about how to respond when she heard Ian¡¯s statement. Her face clueless, she asked, ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I will do my best to treat you as my girlfriend.¡±


    Amber blinked for a moment, before finally understanding that this was his response to her joke from earlier. She couldn¡¯t help but go ¡®ng¡¯ from the shock. ¡°It¡¯s alright, you don¡¯t have to force yourself ¡­.¡±


    Ian was even quite proud of his answer. ¡°It¡¯s no problem.¡±


    Amber was speechless. Communicating with him was really unexpectedly difficult. She had nned to smooth things over with him and to understand him better, but was diverted from her ns by a call from Ruby. After the call ended, she noticed a problem. ¡°Why aren¡¯t we here yet?¡± Looking outside, the surroundings were pitch ck, and the city lights were very far away. ¡°Where are we going? Aren¡¯t we returning to the hotel?¡±


    Ian responded, ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Why? I still have the room card, and what about Mr. Charlie? Are we just leaving him on his own?¡±


    She asked a whole slew of questions, but Ian answered them all with a single short sentence. ¡°Mr. Charlie will handle it on his own.¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    She had thought that, having finally received a breakthrough, that she could just go find the math teacher tomorrow and dig out the truth through an emotional appeal. ¡°Alright.¡± Given how things had yed out, she could only relent, jokingly shed a few tears, and understandingly say, ¡°Going back is fine too. You haven¡¯t eaten much today, though.¡±


    Ian looked at her through the rearview mirror. ¡°Your words don¡¯t match your feelings.¡±


    Amber¡¯s face fell. ¡°Even if you¡¯ve realized that, you don¡¯t have to say it out loud.¡±


    Ian smiled, his usual, very light smile, but Amber could see that he wasn¡¯t feeling bad today.


    And so the happy Ian decided to try a bit harder. ¡°Given the way those people were all hiding the truth from the outside world, you won¡¯t be able to dig out more information without resorting to tricks. Don¡¯t worry about these kinds of things. I¡¯ll have Mr. Charlie handle it for you.¡±


    ¡°Is that fine?¡± Amber was worried.


    ¡°Money solves all problems.¡±From N?velDrama.Org.


    Amber was once again struck speechless by the behavior of the rich.


    When they finally got back to the city, it was almost 11 PM. The two lived quite far apart, and Amber didn¡¯t want to bother him too much, so she nned on having Ian to drop her off somewhere and taking a taxi back home.


    But before she could get off, she received another call from the hospital. There had been another incident rted to Elly. The residual effects of her repeated tranquilizer shots were finally manifesting, and she was even more rambunctious than usual tonight, going as far as to harm herself.


    The nurse keeping watch didn¡¯t dare to restrain her again and had to call Amber.


    And now, even if she didn¡¯t want to trouble Ian, she had to do so regardless. At the very least, Ian didn¡¯t say anything upon hearing her story. He wordlessly directly drove her to the hospital.


    Amber thanked him in a hurry before getting out of the car and running into the hospital.

 Chapter 27. CAN YOU KISS ME

    Elly¡¯s ward was a mess. A group of nurses had surrounded her on all sides. Meanwhile, she was hiding by the foot of the bed, spasming as she continually knocked her head against the wall. ¡°No, no, I didn¡¯t see anything. I saw nothing. Scram! Scram!¡±


    She grasped the foot of the bed with both hands, and was using all her strength to try to flip it over, almost as if she were trying to shield her self against something.


    Amber switched off the light.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?!¡± The nurses in the room were momentarily shocked, but Amber quickly shushed them. ¡°Nobody talk.¡±


    No one in the room moved. Amber motioned for everyone to get out under the dim moonlight. Perhaps the darkness gave Elly an additional sense of safety because after the light was shut off her moaning noises slowly weakened until she simply curled up in her corner, trembling.


    Amber stood there for quite a while before realizing that she was scared. As she prepared herself to help Elly, she suddenly noticed that someone else was standing by her side. She couldn¡¯t help but frown, and was about to remind them once again, but then she turned her head and realized that that person by her side was Ian.


    She didn¡¯t know when he had followed her into the hospital, but he was standing by the door side and looking deeply at Elly, who curled up in her corner. His tall, wide shadow was blocking the light rays from the out side.


    Amber didn¡¯t push him out; instead, she dragged him into the room and then closed the door.


    The blinds on the window had been closed and themp light from outside couldn¡¯t get in. The room became even darker.


    Elly began sobbing, the fear in her voice evident.


    Amber remembered that Ian smoked, so she got on her tiptoes and lightly whispered into his ear, ¡°Do you have a lighter?¡±


    She used her palms to cover up her mouth, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible, but a wisp of breath still escaped and lightly dissolved on Ian¡¯s ear.


    There was a slight itch, as if a soft wind had just blown by his ear, bringing with it a nice smelling scent.


    Ian swallowed his saliva, silently pulled out a lighter from his pocket, and put it in her hand.


    Amber took the lighter. In the deep autumn air which was cold as ice, she took off her shoes, walked over to Elly, and stopped about three paces away. ¡°Hi,¡± she whispered softly as she leaned down. ¡°Do you still remember me? I visited you yesterday.¡±


    Elly didn¡¯t make any noises, and even her sobs lowered in volume. However, Amber could still feel the fear and anxiety coursing through her body.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll keep youpany.¡±


    She tried her best to keep her tone level, caring, and without a single hint of any negative emotion. ¡°It¡¯s so dark in here. Shall we light something?¡±


    Elly didn¡¯t responded. Amber hesitated for a moment, and then flicked the lighter on.


    The stubby fire silently lit up a small area with its blue me. Amber didn¡¯t look at Elly, and instead used her other hand to shield the light. Then, with a dreamy voice, she whispered, ¡°Look, it¡¯s the light. Can you see it?¡±


    ¡°Inside the light is a little rabbit. It was snowing, and so the little rabbit stayed at home alone. She had on a very warm coat, avery pretty scarf, and in her hands was a cup of hot water. However, she still felt cold, as if something were missing.¡±


    ¡°What was she missing? She kept on thinking, until she finally understood. Perhaps what she was missing was a warm hug.¡±


    After saying this, Amber knelt on the floor, leaned forward, and stretched her arms out to Elly. She moved slowly, probingly, trying to hug her.


    Elly pushed her hands away, quickly scrambled up the bed, and covered herself up securely in her nkets.


    It was already veryte when Elly finally fell a sleep.


    Amber told the nurse to give her some medicine, put on her shoes again, and finally stepped out of the ward.N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    Through out this entire process, Ian had stood there at the doorway without moving or speaking.


    As she left, he too, left. After the door closed, she asked, ¡°Are you tired?¡±


    He didn¡¯t answer.


    The nurse on duty peeked her head out, and greeted Dr. Camille. She looked curiously at the man by her side.


    Amber turned around, smiling. ¡°The patient¡¯s calm now. Nothing much should happen for the rest of the night. I¡¯ll get here early tomorrow and devise a new n of treatment for the patient.¡±


    The nurse made an OK symbol with her hands, and then pointed at Ian and mouthed, ¡°Boyfriend?¡±


    Amber shook her head, not answering as she pulled on Ian¡¯s sleeve and quickly left the hospital. Only when they got to the carpark did she finally let go of him. But upon seeing his dazed expression, she couldn¡¯t help but wave a hand in front of him and ask, ¡°Hi, are you scared?¡±


    Ian looked at her.


    ¡°What is it?¡± She asked lightly.


    ¡°Can you tell me a story?¡±


    ¡°Now?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Amber didn¡¯t know why Ian wanted to hear a story right now, but she didn¡¯t refuse or find it strange. After thinking for a moment, she told Ian a story that was rted to his illness: ¡°One day, a little rabbit secretly fell in love with a fox. Every day, it would run into an unupied valley and yell, ¡®Little fox, I like you!¡¯ And from the valley woulde an echo, ¡®I like you.¡¯ The little rabbit yelled like that for many days, and, just as it was about to giveup, it heard the valley¡¯s echo for thest time. At this point, from it came back a light reply. ¡®I also like you.''¡±


    As he listened, Ian shook a bit. Actually, Amber¡¯s story was somewhat boring, uneventful, and without any creativity. Perhaps it was because of the dark night and the silent surroundings, but her voice felt unusually warm in the chilly cold, making him unconsciously want to lean in and listen in closer.


    His eyes drooped and heughed. In the dim yellowmplight, his smile looked a bit cold. ¡°I like you too.¡± He mumbled this sentence repeatedly, until he finally lifted his eyes up again. ¡°Can you kiss me?¡±


    Amber, who was analyzing his response seriously, was at a loss for words.

 Chapter 28. TORRENTIAL GOSSIP

    Once she understood what he was saying, metaphorical ck lines streaked across Amber¡¯s face. ¡°Why?¡±


    Had her story made him misunderstand something?


    Ian¡¯s expression was innocent. ¡°Aren¡¯t we a couple?¡±


    ¡­ Amber¡¯s only response was to be more innocent than him. ¡°But a couple doesn¡¯t need to ask each other before hand when doing something like that. Asking implies that the feelings between us aren¡¯t deep enough, and suggests that we should return to being regr friends.¡±


    After hearing Amber¡¯s exnation, Ian looked at her, deep in thought, not saying anything.


    Amber thought that this episode was over with that, and didn¡¯t pay it any mind. The next day, she went to the hospital immediately. Surprisingly, Elly wasn¡¯t buried under her nket, and was actually sitting straight up in bed, her gazedully inspecting the sunlight that was filtering in through the window blinds.


    Amber tried to get close to her. When she was about five steps away from the bed, Elly turned around. Her expression was frightened, her spine taut, her eyes wide, and her mouth was grinding her teeth hard, almost as if she were about to turn violent at a moment¡¯s notice.


    Amber didn¡¯t approach any further. She passed the sketchbook that she had bought on the way to the hospital to Elly and said, ¡°Can I give this to you?¡±


    She opened the sketchbook, and drew as she exined, ¡°It can produce many things that you want, just like that little bunny who just wants a hug.¡±


    Her drawing skills left much to be desired, but while critically inspecting the four unseemly bunnies that she had drawn, Amber blinked, hoping that Elly had a vivid enough imagination to look past her drawing skills. ¡°Look, the little bunny is waiting for you to hug it.¡±


    Elly was expressionless, and seemedpletely wooden. However, her body hadn¡¯t loosened up at all, remaining anxiousand fearful. Amber¡¯s trip to her hometown made Amber somewhat able to understand her gut reaction, and so she left the sketchbook and pencil on the far side of the bed before slowly leaving.


    When Amber returned to the nurse¡¯s office, she looked at Elly via the security camera. In the camera feed, Elly didn¡¯t move. Shepletely ignored the sketchbook and instead turned her head to look outside the window, her mouth mumbling something that Amber couldn¡¯t quite make out.


    After realizing that they weren¡¯t going to make much progress today, Amber decided to head over to the clinic area. However, before she could open the door, someone stopped her. That person¡¯s hand held a recording pen, and she asked, ¡°Excuse me, are you Dr. Camille from the psychiatry department?¡±


    Amber looked at her warily. ¡°Sorry, who are you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a reporter from XX website for the XX department. May I interview you for a moment with regards to the incident in which your wealthy boyfriend booked all of your appointment slots?¡±


    ¡®Fuck!¡¯ As soon as she heard the reporter introduce herself, Amber, who never cursed, couldn¡¯t help but do so in her mind. How long were they going to harass her for this incident?


    Amber rejected her brusquely. ¡°Sorry, I can¡¯t.¡± Turning around, she quickly walked towards the exit.


    The reporter followed behind her. ¡°You¡¯re the female lead implicated in the incident, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°But, it has to be a young, pretty doctor in the psychiatry department of Presbiterian Hospital. I checked, and the only person who matches that description is you ¡­.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Seriously, it¡¯s you, isn¡¯t it? I don¡¯t have any bad intentions. It¡¯s just that theizens are quite curious and want to understand more details.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re willing to be interviewed, then I can also conduct the interview anonymously ¡­.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, you can¡¯t enter this ce.¡± Shocked, Amber quickly walked into a restricted area that the public couldn¡¯t enter, leaving the reporter behind.


    Finally she had some peace and quiet. Amber released a breath that she had been holding for a long time. She thought that these people were making a mountain out of a molehill, as reporters were even beginning to crowd around her.


    When she turned her head around, she suddenly found her self facing a slightly pale face. She was startled and stepped back unconsciously.


    Standing in front of her was a female doctor in her forties. She was tall and skinny, and her face was stark white.


    ¡°H-Hello!¡±


    The female doctor frowned. ¡°Which department are you from?¡±


    ¡°The psychiatry department.¡±


    ¡°The psychiatry department ¡­ Amber Camille?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Amber didn¡¯t expect to actually be recognized, and smiled respectfully back. ¡°Good morning, doctor.¡±


    But that doctor ended up saying, ¡°You¡¯re that doctor whose appointments got booked, aren¡¯t you?¡± She looked her up and down. ¡°Since someone wants to pamper you, why are you out here being a doctor?¡±


    After saying that, she left swiftly, leaving Amber standing there alone, stunned speechless.


    At this time, a few more doctors and nurses walked out. Amber quickly turned around and followed that female doctor out of the room. After exiting, she couldn¡¯t help but turn back around, and look at the department sign clearly-it turned out that she had wandered into the gynecology offices.


    Amber was somewhat dispirited, and didn¡¯t hurry back to her office. She got on the phone and checked in with her colleague. ¡°Am I still on vacation?¡±From N?velDrama.Org.


    Her colleagueughed. ¡°You can stille to work. The head of the department, who was just swarmed by a horde of reporters, probably wants to have tea with you and talk about your life.¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    She firmly decided to continue her break. Besides visiting Elly, she barely stepped foot into any other work location. Even so, Amber couldn¡¯t escape the fate of constantly being teased and mocked by her colleagues in the department. The teasing really started to make her hate Ian, the instigator of this whole fiasco. The key was, even though he knew that he had caused trouble for her, he was still unwilling to cancel the appointments. When she asked him why, he responded, ¡°It¡¯s too troublesome!¡±


    Amber really wanted to ask why he didn¡¯t find it too troublesome to make the appointments in the first ce.

 Chapter 29. A FACT

    This series of gossipsted for a few days. When Amber went to go teach, even her students asked her about it. Like the majority of people on the Inte, these excitable kids were poor and bored. Because the matter involved doctors and rich people, they passionately wanted to learn more about the male and female leads implicated in the whole scenario. This led to news articles popping up about many of the rich people in town; the buzz had ended up causing many of them to release statements rifying theirck of participation in this affair.


    Whenever something like this popped up, Amber would end up going ¡®Ng¡¯. Even her parents had heard about the news, and her mother had even specifically called her to ask, ¡°Who was it that got all her appointments booked in your department?¡±


    Amber bluntly replied, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Her mother was disdainful. ¡°Then what are you doing at work? Everyone¡¯s saying that that woman is from your department, but you don¡¯t even know who she is?¡±


    Amber was so ¡®Ng¡¯ that she couldn¡¯t ¡®Ng¡¯ any further. At least those reporters had some semnce of decency and hadn¡¯t reported her name.


    Her mother implored her to find out more about this gossip, and her brother made even more excessive demands. He asked, ¡°See who was it that managed to tame such agenerous man, and find a way to introduceme to her; I¡¯m doing business and really need to be familiar with such people!¡±


    Amber couldn¡¯t respond. While she was glumly waiting for this fiasco to blow over, Ian suddenly called her. ¡°That man named Stanley is here. Do you want to meet him?¡±


    ¡°Elly¡¯s math teacher?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Amber was quite shocked. These past two days, she had actually been following up with the police about Elly¡¯s affairs. At the beginning, they had investigated for quite a significant period of time, but their conclusion had solely been that Elly¡¯s  mental condition was caused by her loneliness and sensitivity. In other words, they hadn¡¯t heard about any bullying at all.


    Amber believed the police, and slightly suspected that what the little girl had said was untrue. She was still debating on whether or not she should return to the town to speak with Mr. Stanley. But unexpectedly, he had shown up here.


    ¡°Sure, where is he? I¡¯ll go and meet him.¡±


    Ian told her to meet him at the cafe on the third level of Axton Hotel, in a private room. When Amber arrived, she saw Ian and Mr. Stanley already sitting face to face; the former wore a cool, bored expression while thetter was antsy, fidgeting, and constantly looking around.


    Seeing Amber¡¯s presence, he even seemed to rx. This time, he put on the face of the kind and caring teacher she had seen first. ¡°Lawyer Camille.¡±


    Amber nodded. ¡°Hello.¡± She looked at Ian, and he coolly looked back at her before saying, ¡°He has something that he wants to tell you.¡±


    Amber then turned to Mr. Stanley. ¡°Please, do tell me.¡±


    Mr. Stanley rubbed his hands together. ¡°Didn¡¯t you ask me about why Elly quit school? Actually, I know the reason why, but I hope that you¡¯ll keep it amongst the three of us, and that you won¡¯t request me to be a witness on any asion.¡±


    Amber¡¯s heart started pounding. From this first statement, she could already imagine that the truth behind Elly¡¯s illness was not simple indeed.From N?velDrama.Org.


    After thinking it over for a moment, Amber replied, ¡°Okay.¡±


    Mr. Stanley then looked towards Ian, who nodded his head non chntly.


    ¡°What you promised me earlier, I expect it in full.¡±


    Ian merely replied coolly, ¡°Yes.¡±


    Amber looked him over once. ¡°What did you promise him?¡±


    Ian didn¡¯t deign to reply. ¡°You can start talking now.¡±


    Both men fluidly ignored Amber¡¯s question. After he sitating for a long moment, Mr. Stanley started talking. ¡°The reason why Elly decided to quit school was, as my daughter said, because she was bullied. More specifically, she was a victim of schoolyard violence.¡±


    ¡°Elly¡¯s personality was reclusive and entric. Not only that, but her parents were frequently gone, so she only had her old grandmother by her side. For most of her school life, she was crowded out by her peers. When she was small, the kids couldn¡¯t do all that much to her, but in middle school, as they grew older, the students developed more ways of bullying her.¡±


    ¡°Not long after she entered middle school, she became very popr with the boys due to her looks. You know how jealous and rebellious teenage kids can be, more so than at any other age. Some of the other girls didn¡¯t like the fact that she was so popr, so they gathered a crowd of people to surround her after school. Perhaps at that time, with so many people there, the bullying got out of control, and what they did ¡­ was particrly vicious. And from that time on, Elly never came to school again.¡±


    ¡®This sort of thing seems to be happening every wheretely.¡¯ Amber sighed. Despite her already being able torgely guess what had transpired, in order to understand Elly¡¯s condition more thoroughly, she could only say, ¡°May I ask, how bad?¡±


    Mr. Stanley silently retrieved a phone from a bag. After pressing a couple of buttons, he held it out in front of Amber. ¡°I have a video here that you can watch.¡±


    Amber took the phone and opened the video. It was very short, fewer than twenty seconds long, but its contents were a ghastly sight.


    Despite her being prepared for a brutal scene, she was still bbergasted, and a righteous fury consumed her.


    She hadn¡¯t imagined that kids could be this vicious. ¡°This is illegal!¡± She looked at Mr. Stanley stood up, and pped her stack of documents on the table. ¡°As a teacher, while knowing the truth, how could you not call the police, but instead actually try to cover it up?¡±


    Mr. Stanley¡¯s head drooped slightly. ¡°I also didn¡¯t have a choice. As a paltry math teacher, I could only meekly follow what my superiors told me to do. As you¡¯ve seen, the children who took part in the violence weren¡¯t just one or two kids; it was a whole crowd of them. Two of the children¡¯s families have deep connections, so that entire crowd was essentially able to do whatever they wanted.


    Furthermore, they are all underaged children. Even if we had called the police, what could they have done? Elly¡¯s grandmother thought that this was a very embarrassing thing and also decided to keep quiet about it, not pursuing the matter any further.


    She was especially quiet after she received a bit of money as reparation fees. If the victim doesn¡¯t call for an investigation, then the school will always let the matter drop, regardless of the severity.¡±


    Mr. Stanley¡¯s words weren¡¯t very logical; clearly, this matter was arge burden on his chest, so even just mentioning it again made him anxious and defensive.

 Chapter 30. ONE BITE

    Amber shut her eyes, thinking of the newly restored three story house that Elly had lived in. She remembered that the woman who had brought her to the house said that it was only in thest two years that they had been able to refinish it. After letting out a deep breath, she tried to calm down. ¡°Was Elly¡¯s house built with those reparation fees?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Elly¡¯s grandmother¡¯s thought process was that, if she had a big house, then despite her granddaughter being bullied, they would have enough money to not need to worry about her not being able to get married.¡±


    Amber¡¯s heart almost stopped. ¡°Did Elly¡¯s father know about this?¡±


    ¡°Probably not. He was out fishing and rarely returned home. Even when he dide back, it would only be for two or three days at a time. I heard that, because Elly looked very much like her mother, he didn¡¯t want to see her all that much. Thus, the two didn¡¯t like each other very much.¡±


    ¡°Did Elly¡¯s mental illness develop after that incident?¡±


    ¡°More or less. But after that, she rarely left the house, so I also don¡¯t really know when it became a big issue.¡±


    ¡°And then you also said that when she was in school, when you confiscated her artbook, she made a big fuss about it with you and even bit you. Was that true?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it was.¡±


    ¡°And how was her mental condition at that time?¡±


    ¡°Alright, I think ¡­ she just didn¡¯t talk very much, and I wouldn¡¯t have remembered her if not for that incident.¡±


    Amber was quiet. Mr. Stanley, upon seeing her ugly expression, couldn¡¯t help but add, ¡°Actually I ¡­ did report the incident to the police, but it wasn¡¯t of much help. My phone had only these scant few seconds of video, and none of the kids are identifiable. Besides Elly, no one else¡¯s face is in it, so even the police couldn¡¯t find out anything.


    Amber mockingly replied, ¡°It¡¯s not that they couldn¡¯t find out anything, but rather that all the people who knew about it decided to keep mum, right?¡± She then recalled her own investigation. ¡®If not for Mr. Stanley¡¯s four year-old daughter, I probably wouldn¡¯t have been able to find anything either¡¯.From N?velDrama.Org.


    Mr. Stanley rubbed his face. Amber asked him a few more questions, but upon seeing that he wasn¡¯t very clear about the details either, she let him off the hook, as he wanted.


    After Mr. Stanley left, the atmosphere became somewhat depressing. Of course, that was only Amber¡¯s mood, because her attitude after this whole debacle was terrible. Ian still looked calm and collected, and even somewhat excited at seeing her angry.


    It was only after a while that Amber noticed that he was looking at her. She took a moment to collect her self and then asked, ¡°What are you looking at?¡±


    ¡°At you.¡±


    ¡°What have you noticed?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re very angry,¡± he said, with a trace of confusion in his voice. ¡°Why are you so angry? You¡¯re just a doctor.¡±


    Amber let out a deep breath. ¡°It¡¯s a righteous fury, wholly unrted to my person and my upation. It¡¯s a natural emotion that people who have to deal with unfair and dishonest situations feel.¡±


    Perhaps it was because she was still feeling upset, but Amber¡¯s words were quite harsh.


    Ian understood her words, but hemerely smiled in response. ¡°The strongman¡¯s anger is directed towards those even stronger than he, while the weak man¡¯s anger is to those even weaker than he. That¡¯s the way of the world; what¡¯s there to be furious about?¡±


    Amber was surprised. She didn¡¯t expect that Ian would use Lu Xun¡¯s words to respond to her.[1]


    She reorganized her thoughts and then responded, ¡°The most important part of life is to develop and grow in response to one¡¯s own fury. So, if the road is unequal, then someone has to tten it.¡±


    If he was going to use Lu Xun¡¯s words, then she would use Balzac¡¯s in response. Ian was clearly familiar with Balzac too; his expression didn¡¯t change, but his eyes did be warmer. ¡°It¡¯s all useless,¡± hemented.


    ¡°If it were all useless, then why did you help me by bringing Mr. Stanley here?¡± After saying this, she suddenly remembered. ¡°Right, what did you promise him that would get him to say all this?¡±


    Ian didn¡¯t immediately answer, and instead pointed at the seat next to him. ¡°Sit down here.¡±


    Amber thought that what he was about to tell her was a secret and very important, so she sat down without hesitation. Then, she lifted her head towards his, waiting for him to exin.


    The overhead light shone on her white skin, as translucent as a well cut piece of jade.


    Ian again had that aching feeling in his heart, just like back in the small town. It was as if there was a feather lightly scratching the tip of his heart.


    Very lightly, but enough for him to feel a difference.


    He leaned down slightly, intending to kiss that rosy hued jade. But despite being nonplussed, Amber was able to dodge it, and his lipsnded on her half dimple instead.


    He opened his mouth, biting down without hesitation.


    ¡°¡­..¡±


    ********


    Author note:


    1. Lu Xun is one of the most well known Chinese writers of the 20th century

 Chapter 31. I’LL KISS WHENEVER I WANT TO

    Amber instinctively clutched her face. At the very least, there wasn¡¯t any saliva or anything of the sort on her cheek, and the kiss didn¡¯t hurt either. However, this sort of behavior was ¡­ Ian¡¯s face was emotionless and it didn¡¯t feel like he was trying to take advantage of her, so she didn¡¯t want to make things tooplicated. All she did was jokingly say, ¡°It seems like you really dislike my half dimple, so much that you even want to bite it off. Should I wear a mask next time then?¡±


    Ian was still in his half crouched posture, looking at her nkly.


    ¡®Did he dislike it? Actually, no. Perhaps he had gotten used to it now, but her half dimple no longer seemed so displeasing to his eyes.¡¯


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that.¡±


    Amber made an ¡®Oh¡¯ sound. ¡°Then I¡¯m sorry to have made you feel wronged.¡±


    Just as she was nning to return to her seat, Ian suddenly said, ¡°I originally intended to kiss you.¡± He sat upright again, and crossed his hands in front of his chest as he seriously exined, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that I shouldn¡¯t need to ask to kiss my girlfriend, and that I could kiss her whenever I wanted to?¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    ¡®So, he still hadn¡¯t for gotten about that? That wasn¡¯t what I meant, though, was it ¡­.¡¯


    ¡°Actually, you can¡¯t just kiss when ever. You also have to consider the surroundings and general atmosphere.¡± Having been reminded of Ian¡¯s as tonishing ability to misinterpret words and actions, she felt that she needed to exin things even more explicitly, and then she decisively changed the topic. ¡°You still haven¡¯t answered me. What did you have to give that Mr. Stanley to coerce him into telling the truth?¡±


    Ian respondedzily, his answer simple and rough. ¡°Money.¡±


    ¡°How much?¡±


    Ian looked at her intently. ¡°Are you nning on reimbursing me?¡± He pulled out a receipt from his bag heartily, put it in front of her, and then told her, rather kindly, ¡°Old Charlie¡¯s not too bad. He didn¡¯t end up giving away too much money.¡±


    Amber silently counted the zeroes in that receipt, quickly calcted the overall sum and then felt ¡­ aplicated mix of emotions.


    She really shouldn¡¯t have agreed to let him help. Really. Mr. Stanley at least had some sense of moral decency; if she had stuck to him stubbornly, she definitely would have eventually gotten him to open his mouth.


    But now, she could only try to reimburse Ian for the money. Amber sighed and then asked, ¡°Can I return it in installments?¡±


    ¡°Up to you.¡± After a while, he asked, ¡°How many installments are you thinking of?¡±


    ¡°Two ¡­ twenty years?¡± She was quite afraid of saying one or two years, because the amount that Ian had paid was really quite significant. At her current ie level, she would have to keep a tight budget andpletely refrain from eating or drinking out if she wanted to pay it all off in two years.


    There weren¡¯t many rich people out there, and there was a big gap between them and regr people.


    Ianughed. He refrained from saying anything, but he didn¡¯t take the receipt back either.


    Amber¡¯s face blushed red, but she didn¡¯t have the courage to simply brush this bill off. She silently put the receipt away, and then automatically started calcting in her head how much she would have to pay him monthly ¡­.


    Honestly, a doctor living the way she was nning on living was probably unprecedented through out history.


    Regardless of her disapproval for Ian¡¯s problem solving strategy, Amber was still very grateful for his help.


    Because of this, she decided to invite him to lunch. But just halfway through the meal, the hospital called her again, saying that Elly¡¯s guardian had arrived and was requesting that she return.


    Elly¡¯s guardian was evidently her father, who had finallye back.


    After Amber received the news, she put down her chopsticks. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Something¡¯se up at the hospital, so I have to leave now.¡±


    Before she could get up, however, Ian grabbed her hand. ¡°Finish eating first.¡± His expression was very serious.


    ¡°But I have to go ¡­.¡±


    Ian had already put her chopsticks back into her hand. After that, he continued holding her down with one hand while using the other to slowly continue eating.


    After looking at his expression, Amber realized that he probably wouldn¡¯t let her go until she finished eating.


    ¡°I hate seeing things left unfinished halfway.¡±


    Amber disdainfully replied in her head, ¡®Actually, this is just your obsessivepulsive disorder speaking, isn¡¯t it!¡¯


    But she didn¡¯t insist on leaving. Instead, she picked up her chopsticks, matched his rhythm, and finished the meal.


    After finishing the meal, Amber returned to the hospital. Ian didn¡¯t intend on sending her over, and Amber had no intention of letting him do so either, but when she saw him leave so bluntly, she couldn¡¯t help but call him back.


    ¡°Mr. Stanley,¡± she said, ¡°I¡¯m in a bit of a hurry. If you don¡¯t mind, could you send me over to the hospital?¡±


    When Ian heard her words, he looked at his watch and nodded. Amber looked at him unflinchingly. Despite hisck of facial expressions, a wisp of annoyance shed through his eyes.


    He didn¡¯t want to speak on the way to the hospital, so she didn¡¯t open her mouth either. Instead, she ran through her head about what she would do upon meeting Elly¡¯s father.


    If she could, she very much wanted to help Elly get justice for what was done to her, and the best person to help her do this was undoubtedly her father.


    Ian sent Amber to the hospital personally and even went upstairs with her. Amber didn¡¯t refuse.


    Of course, he wouldn¡¯t have let her refuse.


    Upon seeing Elly¡¯s father, Amber felt a sense of dissociation. In her mind, Elly¡¯s father had been someone poor and dejected, and because he liked to gamble, perhaps even somewhat sloppy or wretched.


    While the man standing in front of Amber might have been a bit poor, he didn¡¯t look sloppy at all, and certainly not wretched. He was dressed in a light blue wind breaker and dark blue jeans. Despite his age showing through his clothes, they were clean and not the least bit unkempt.


    If she hadn¡¯t known better, she would have said that he looked more like a schr than a fisherman who sailed far out into the ocean.


    Amber was so shocked that she was momentarily at a loss for words. Elly¡¯s father spoke up first, asking, ¡°Are you Dr. Camille?¡±


    Even his voice was quite warm, which helped Amber recover quickly. ¡°Are you Elly¡¯s father?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± He nodded, looking somewhat nervous. ¡°I heard the police say that you wanted to see me.¡±


    The way he spoke made it seem like he hadn¡¯t been nning on meeting her if the police hadn¡¯t mentioned it. Amber frowned. ¡°Have you seen your daughter yet?¡±Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 32. MEETING

    Elly¡¯s father nodded, but then shortly started shaking his head. Seeing this, Amber quickly called a nurse over to bring him to Elly¡¯s ward. She herself returned to her office, both to change into her white coat and to observe the camera footage for the ward. Inside the ward, Elly had already fallen a sleep. Her orderly but unusual posture clearly sparked some amount of sadness within her father; he¡¯d turned away almost as soon as he saw her.


    On the screen, Elly¡¯s father cut a sorry figure. Regret, sadness, self incrimination, and vexation could all be seen flickering through his face.


    Amber¡¯s heart dropped as she saw him. Ian had been standing by her side ever since he had entered, and at this moment here tracted his gaze. ¡°He knew about it.¡±


    Elly father¡¯s behavior clearly indicated that he must have known about everything that his daughter had been going through.


    Amber nodded as she finished with thest button on her coat. Before leaving, she asked Ian, ¡°I¡¯d like to speak with him. Do you want toe?¡±


    Actually, this was a hidden reminder that he shouldn¡¯t go over with her. She didn¡¯t know if Ian understood her intentions, but he nced at her and didn¡¯t move.


    Amber pushed the door open and went out. By the time she had retrieved Elly¡¯s medical records, her father had already returned.


    She noticed that his expression had returned to its usual calm, and only his slightly trembling fingers revealed his unease.


    She poured him a ss of water. He didn¡¯t drink it, merely holding it in his hands, his gaze vacant.


    Amber asked, ¡°Do you want to go inside and speak with her?¡±


    It seemed to take him a long moment to understand what she was saying, and he seemingly became shocked in slow motion. ¡°She ¡­ can recognize me?¡±


    ¡°You seem to know that she doesn¡¯t recognize anyone.¡± Amber looked at him again. ¡°I heard that you left home three months ago. Doesn¡¯t that mean that the patient was exhibiting simr symptoms at least before then, or even earlier?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°About how long ago?¡±


    Elly¡¯s father somewhat arduously forced out his words. ¡°About a year ago, but at that time, she only had asional moments where she couldn¡¯t recognize people and mumbled nonsense.¡±


    ¡°Did she have any other symptoms?¡±


    He shook his head.


    ¡°Then when did it start bing more serious?¡±


    ¡°About half a year ago. When I returned home, I realized that things couldn¡¯t go on the way they were with her, and wanted her to go learn more.¡±


    Amber stopped taking notes and raised her head. ¡°You forced her back to school?¡±


    ¡°¡­ Yes.¡± As Elly¡¯s father spoke, he started shaking and brought out a pack of cigarettes, but he couldn¡¯t seem to light one with his trembling hands and finally gave up, clutching his head. ¡°At that time, none of us knew how sick she really was. We once dragged her out of her room, kicking and screaming, making a huge fuss. Then I got angry and hit her. She ran out, and it took us a whole day before we found her in a half forgotten graveyard.¡±


    As he recounted this event, he shivered. Clearly, that experience had left him semi traumatized.


    Amber asked, ¡°What happened after wards?¡±


    ¡°After that, she would head there daily, right after dark, and she was always saying things that scared others. Slowly, she started being unable to recognize people as well.¡±


    ¡°You never took her to see a doctor?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°My mother said that she wasn¡¯t ill, only possessed, and that it would be fine once we burned some incense and prayed to the gods. And since she was still young, we were afraid that any news of her mental illness would be bad for her ¡­.¡±


    Amber couldn¡¯t keep listening to this.


    ¡°Afraid that it would be bad for her, or afraid that it would look bad on you?¡± When Elly¡¯s father lowered his head without answering, she changed the topic, tired of this conversation. ¡°I want to investigate the reasons behind her illness so that I cane up with a treatment n for her. As far as I know, she only started exhibiting those symptoms after she quit school. Do you know why she quit school? Her elementary school grades weren¡¯t bad, so why would she quit right after entering middle school?¡±


    Elly¡¯s father spoke softly. ¡°She ¡­ she didn¡¯t listen.¡±


    ¡°Only that?¡±From N?velDrama.Org.


    He lowered his head.


    Amber brought out her phone. ¡°I have a short video here ¡­.¡±


    Elly¡¯s father was so shocked hestood up, his chair screeching as he got up.¡±W-What video?¡±


    Amber tried to remain calm as she replied, ¡°A video that exins why she quit school. Do you want to see it?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Elly¡¯s father refused her suggestion right away. He was extremely surprised, and even the expression on his face seemed to distort slightly. ¡°Why do you have that? Didn¡¯t they say that all of it had been deleted?¡±


    ¡°So you know what happened,¡± Amber stated slowly. Despite her growing anger, she didn¡¯t want to provoke him. ¡°Haven¡¯t you ever thought of getting justice for her? No, more urately, didn¡¯t Elly ever want you to get justice for her, to punish those bullies?¡±


    Elly¡¯s father didn¡¯t respond. He nced at her and said that he needed to look at her phone. Then, almost as if he had seen a monster, he ran off, stumbling.


    Amber quickly stood up and chased after him. ¡°Mr. Brown!¡±


    But he ran even more quickly, entered the stairs not long after, and disappeared from her sight after that. By the time Amber reached the stairway, she couldn¡¯t even see his shadow. At the bottom of the stairs, there were only some by standers who didn¡¯t know what had happened.


    She stood there without speaking. The nurses who had heard themotion and chased after her had finally caught up. ¡°Dr. Camille, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Amber didn¡¯t even know what to say, and could only ask, ¡°Did the patient in ward no. 24¡¯s guardian leave his contact information behind?¡±


    ¡°No. When he got here, he asked about the patient¡¯s situation, and then just sat there ina daze, not responding to any questions.¡±


    The nurse seemed quite displeased, but Amber only frowned at the situation. Elly¡¯s father behavior was really unexpected; it seemed like his mental condition wasn¡¯t the best, either.


    ¡°Amber!¡± Just as Amber was thinking about what she should do next, the elevator doors opened, and a male and two females walked out. Leading them was Trysta, the new bride fresh from her honeymoon. She was dressed brightly and fashionably, and her face was filled with the happiness and joy of being a newlywed. Holding her hand was the girl who had been her bridesmaid.


    Amber was overjoyed. ¡°Why¡¯re you guys here?¡± And when her gaze passed over both of them andnded on the man behind them, she was barely able to suppress her smile.

 Chapter 33. YOU’RE MINE

    ¡°Why¡¯re you guys here?¡± And when her gaze passed over both of them andnded on the man behind them, she was barely able to suppress her smile.


    Calvin also smiled back at her.


    ¡°Hey, we¡¯re still here.¡± Seeing the two start tomunicate with their eyes, Trysta tried to get their attention.


    Amber looked at her. ¡°Who are you? I don¡¯t recognize you. What difference does your being here make?¡±


    After everyoneughed at the light joke, Amber brought them all back into her office. As they walked over, she asked, ¡°Where did all of you find the time toe here?¡±N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    Trysta replied, ¡°Oh my fair doctor, as busy as you are, if you don¡¯t have any time to meet us, then we can onlye and bother you. I also brought along some gifts from my honeymoon especially for you. Aren¡¯t I nice?¡±


    As Trysta said this, she retrieved an intricate box from her bag and handed it to her. Just as Amber was about to express her gratitude, Calvin rified what had actually happened. ¡°Trysta friend¡¯s uncle also works in this hospital, and my mother made an appointment with him because she wasn¡¯t feeling well. I invited them to apany my mom over, and, since we had extra time, we decided to drop by and see you too.¡±


    Amber smiled, nced at Trysta, and then kindly asked, ¡°Is Mrs. Kenric alright?¡±


    Calvin shook his head. ¡°The check up isn¡¯t finished yet.¡±


    Trysta hissed, ¡°Calvin, why do you have to be so honest? While she¡¯s feeling emotional, you should take the opportunity to get together with her ¡­.¡± By this time they had reached her office, but Trysta¡¯s words dropped off upon noticing who was sitting inside. ¡°Di-Director Axton? Er, why are you here?¡±


    Ian had walked out of the office at some point, and was now sitting on a chair while on his phone. Upon hearing themotion, he lifted his head, looked at them, and then coolly said, ¡°I¡¯m apanying my girlfriend to work.¡±


    Trysta jumped up in fright. ¡°G-Girlfriend? Who?¡±


    Amber stroked her forehead as she felt a headacheing on.


    Ian suddenly stood up. This time, it was Amber who was scared, watching him warily.


    Ian¡¯s expression was calm as he ignored the others and walked over to Amber. When he was within arm¡¯s length, he said, ¡°Something came up at work, so I¡¯ll be leaving now.¡±


    Amber exhaled. ¡°Okay.¡±


    But she had let her guard down too quickly, because Ian suddenly turned around, kissed her on the cheek, and, before she could react, nodded to the petrified Trysta and abruptly left.


    No one spoke.


    Amberughed dryly. ¡°That¡¯s just a standard goodbye routine, nothing more.¡±


    But before she could finish making an excuse, the door opened and Ian walked in once more, caressed her face, and kissed her firmly on her lips.


    Of course, the kiss didn¡¯t linger for long; his lips merely brushed against hers. From Amber¡¯s perspective, his actions felt more like he was just going through the motions, without any sense of desire or love.


    But in others eyes, Ian¡¯s behavior could already be considered arrogant, high profile, and intimate! This was partly because after they separated from their kiss, Ian then even used his hand to slowly rub Amber¡¯s face as he said, ¡°Don¡¯t forget, you¡¯re mine.¡±


    After Ian finished saying those words, he finally left. Amber wasn¡¯t too annoyed by his kisses, but his parting remarks had left her shaking from head to toe. This time, however, she didn¡¯t dare say anything after wards; who knew if he woulde back yet again!


    Fortunately, he seemed to be gone for good.


    The room was silent for a good long while after wards. It was Amber who finally spoke up. As she brought each of them a stool, she said, ¡°Sit down, please. Sorry, I don¡¯t have any chairs that are morefortable.¡±


    Then, she poured each of them a ss of water. When Calvin took the offered ss of water, he couldn¡¯t even bear to look at her, and his lips were silently quivering from the shock.


    Trysta finally recovered when she was handed a ss of water. ¡°So, Amber you¡¯re Ian¡¯s girlfriend?¡±


    Amber straight forwardly replied, ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re still denying it even after that kiss? You¡¯re not being honest, Amber.¡± Trysta looked at Calvin, and then clicked her tongue in annoyance. ¡°Why are you hiding your romance? Are you trying to date two men at once?¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    She realized only now that her predicament was actually quite difficult to exin. After all, she couldn¡¯t out right tell them that Ian had some abnormal tendencies and that he was just her patient, could she?


    After a long time, she finally thought of a passable exnation. ¡°There¡¯s really nothing going on between Ian and me ¡­ If anything, it¡¯s that my professor once introduced the two of us and set us up on a date.¡±


    ¡°A date?¡± This question was from Calvin.


    ¡°A date between you two? Was this before or after I got married?¡± This was from Trysta.


    Amber answered both questions with just one word. ¡°Before.¡±


    ¡°No wonder!¡± Trysta looked as though she had suddenly understood something. ¡°I knew that Frank was behaving oddly that day, especially when he intentionally requested for you to send Ian out. Additionally, you never came back after you left! Adultery, I say, adultery!¡±


    She was so excited that she didn¡¯t even notice Calvin¡¯s expression, but Amber did. At this point, she just felt exasperated this matter really couldn¡¯t be exined cleanly, as doing so would infringe on a patient¡¯s privacy. And given how reluctant Ian was to discuss his illness even with her, she didn¡¯t want to hurt him unintentionally.


    So, she could only look at Calvin apologetically. But to Calvin, it seemed like she was tacitly agreeing to Trysta¡¯s usations.


    Calvin instantly lost all interest in speaking about the subject, but Trysta was still chattering away. ¡°Then what did the two of you do the day after? Did you go on a date? Did you?¡±


    Amber shook her head. ¡°No. I just yed a few rounds of mah jjong with him and his friends.¡±


    This was the actual truth, but, clearly, no one believed her. Trysta even said, ¡°I don¡¯t believe you. When did you know how to y mah jjong?¡±


    ¡°Yes, and I¡¯m quite good.¡±

 Chapter 34. MISUNDERSTOOD

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe you at all! Such a peerless beauty like you, how could you be ying ¡­ ah, I remember now! That incident where a rich man booked all of a doctor¡¯s appointment slots, that has to be you and Ian Axton!


    A doctor from the psychiatry department and her extremely wealthy, mysterious boyfriend!¡± As she spoke, Trysta couldn¡¯t help but grab hold of Amber and start tickling her. ¡°You brat, you even said that you didn¡¯t know when I asked youst time.¡±


    Amber was deathly afraid of being tickled, and quickly fell prey to Trysta¡¯s antics. The attack reached such a frenzy that Amber couldn¡¯t even make any noise. All she could do was try to dodge and bite her lips as she intermittently pleaded, ¡°Ah ¡­ I¡¯m still at work.¡±


    Trysta unresigned, continued tickling her for quite a bit after that, and only stopped when Calvin¡¯s phone rang.


    When Calvin took the call, she still hadn¡¯t let go of Amber, the duo in a ko-like hugging posture as they listened in on Calvin¡¯s call.


    Calvin turned around to look at them. ¡°My mother said that her check up isplete, so I have to head downstairs.¡± As he said this, he nced at Amber again, but refrained from saying anything.


    Everyone was looking at him, but he only said onest word. ¡°Goodbye.¡± And then he left.


    Amber and Trysta were somewhat at a loss for words for his attitude. The two of them looked at each other, and then Trysta turned her head to call her friend over. ¡°Would you mind apanying Calvin for a bit? I¡¯ll catch up with the two of youter.¡±N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    Trysta¡¯s friend graciously responded, ¡°Sure.¡± As she left, she even waved goodbye familiarly to Amber, and Amber responded in kind.


    When everyone else had all left, Trysta finally let Amber go, looked at her, and thenughed. ¡°You¡¯re quite something, breaking your idol¡¯s heart into little pieces like that.¡±


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you the one who was messing around?¡±


    Instead of helping her resolve her dilemma, Trysta¡¯s words had only misled Calvin further.


    ¡°I¡¯m not messing around. I¡¯m trying to help! Ian Axton is a wonderful man, he¡¯s rich, influential, capable, andcks neither family nor background. Of course, I¡¯m not saying Calvin¡¯s bad either. But, regardless of how youpare them, Ian Axton¡¯s clearly the superior one.¡± Trysta didn¡¯t hide her favorable impression of Ian at all, and her tone was seemingly somewhat agitated as she enumerated his good features.


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you. He has a wonderful reputation in his line of work, and his dating life is almostpletely rumorless. In fact, he¡¯s so clean that he¡¯s barely like a regr mortal.¡± As Trysta spoke, sheughed and then whispered in Amber¡¯s ear, ¡°I don¡¯t mind telling you this secret. Before I met my husband, I also liked Ian Axton¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    Trysta scrunched up her nose. ¡°What kind of expression is that?¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Amber eximed with augh. ¡°I¡¯m just thinking about how I should tell Frank that.¡±


    ¡°Pah!¡± Trysta pushed her. ¡°He loves me too much. No matter what you say, it won¡¯t matter.¡±


    Amberughed before ncing at her contemtively. ¡°Did Ian really not have a single girlfriend before this?¡±


    ¡°As far as I know, no. And not just no girlfriend, either. I heard that once, someone tried to dump a naked girl on his bed when he was drunk, but he didn¡¯t even respond!¡±


    Upon hearing this story, Amber was quite impressed with how daring that man¡¯s actions were. Curiously, she asked, ¡°Ian didn¡¯t get mad at that man?¡±


    ¡°Of course he did! Frank told me that Ian then fed a sexual stimnt to that man and sent him into a room with four women, almost permanently disabling him! Ah-¡± Her eyes gleamed, and Trysta fingersnded lightly on Amber¡¯s shoulder. ¡°And here you were saying how the two of you barely knew each other. But look at how familiar you are with him; how else would you know that he would get mad in that situation? Wouldn¡¯t the normal thing to ask be whether or not he enjoyed it?¡±


    ¡®Heh, when you consider Ian¡¯s personality and his mental condition, it would be a miracle if he could enjoy a situation like that.¡¯ Of course, she couldn¡¯t voice this thought, so Amber instead calmly responded, ¡°Have you forgotten about my profession?¡±


    ¡°A psychiatrist can even sense something like that?¡± Trysta wasn¡¯t easy to fool, and she narrowed her eyes at Amber insuspicion. ¡°Then why don¡¯t you tell me what I¡¯m thinking about right now?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re thinking, ¡®Hmm, Amber has really gotten lucky! She actually managed to get into a rtionship with Ian! I have to tell Silvia right away that someone actually got into a rtionship, and that her partner is even tall, rich, and handsome! She¡¯ll get engaged today, married tomorrow, and maybe there¡¯ll even be a babying out shortly.''¡±


    Trysta stared at her, mouth wide-open. Half a secondter, she angrily prepared to tickle Amber again. ¡°What kind of a gossiper do you take me to be!¡±


    Amberughed, and the two of them yfully tussled for a fair bit after that. Trysta only left when Amber mentioned that something hade up. But before she left, she asked, ¡°Ah, now that you¡¯vended a rich boyfriend, does that mean that you won¡¯t be getting into a rtionship with Calvin?¡±


    Sensing that her words held more than met the eye, Amber raised her eyebrows to show how perplexed she was. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°That friend of mine¡¯s also interested in him.¡± Trysta blinked as she exined, ¡°You know, my friend¡¯s not young either, and she has high expectations. Since she¡¯s finally found someone who she likes, I¡¯m doing my best to pair the twopatible people together. Aren¡¯t I doing a remarkable task?¡±


    ¡°That girl who was with you just now?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, isn¡¯t she pretty?¡±


    ¡®She was indeed pretty, but was she really interested in Calvin?¡¯ Amber thought back to the girl¡¯s overly calm and collected expression when Trysta had tried to get Calvin and her to walk downstairs together.


    **********


    Author Note:


    Dear readers,


    Please give support to this story by giving a 5 star rating and your kindments. Just 1 goodment and your 5 star rating is very valuable for the author, especially since you gave a lot ?

 Chapter 35. IT’S FINE AS LONG AS YOU DON’T MIND

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind. But have you considered Silvia¡¯s feelings?¡± Amber almost wanted to say that Trysta must have misunderstood something, but she decided not to worry too much about this.


    ¡°You know how she always says things without ever acting on them. If we really let her chase after Calvin, I bet that she won¡¯t even do it. Alright, it¡¯s fine as long as you don¡¯t mind!¡± As Trysta finished talking, she patted Amber¡¯s face. ¡°I¡¯m leaving. Don¡¯t worry, and enjoy your days. I¡¯ll make sure that your idol¡¯s happy too.¡±


    Maybe it was because Amber had confessed that Calvin was her idol too quickly, but every time Trysta brought up that subject, it was through some kind of banter. And now, she was even publicly helping her friend steal Amber¡¯s idol away. Amber couldn¡¯t help but rub her forehead at Trysta¡¯s antics.


    After being misunderstood by Calvin, Amber originally thought that she would feel quite uneasy, that she¡¯d be falling all over herself trying to prove her innocence. In reality, she was more concerned about Elly¡¯s father sudden departure.


    After Trysta and the others left, she talked to the police herself and finally obtained his contact information. But when she called his number, no one picked up.


    Forck of a better option, Amber temporarily gave up on pursuing Elly¡¯s father and went to deal with other matters. As she walked off, she coincidentally passed by Elly¡¯s ward, and noticed that Elly had woken up.


    The room was still dark, its only light source being the moonlight shining through the half-drawn windows. Elly sat at the foot of the bed, and was clutching a pen in her hand as she drew something that Amber couldn¡¯t see.


    After thinking about it for a moment, Amber went to her office to retrieve the other sketchbook and a set of crayons. Once she got within five paces of the bed, Elly stopped drawing and her whole body grew taut just likest time, even though she wasn¡¯t looking at Amber.


    Amber didn¡¯t go any closer. She directly satdown on the floor, and started seriously sketching in the sketchbook.


    This time, she colored her drawings in. The drawing was once again of a somewhat deformed little bunny, but Amber tried her best to use the colors to make her bunny warmer to the eye.


    After finishing, she left the sketchbook and the crayons in their original position, and then silently walked out.


    Throughout the whole process, Amber had never once looked her in the eye. But Amber didn¡¯t mind; when approaching someone who had been hurt and hurt again, patience was the only path.


    ***


    After returning to her office, Amber took out her phone and found that Calvin had sent her a single message.


    ¡°Congrattions.¡±


    From the timestamp, it didn¡¯t seem like it had been sent that long ago. During that time, she should have been apanying Elly.


    After thinking for a moment, Amber replied back, ¡°Congrattions for what?¡±


    This time, she waited a long while, but didn¡¯t receive a response. As she was waiting, the police officer in charge of Elly¡¯s case coincidentally called her. Amber told him about the results of her own investigation through the phone, and the officer appeared to be quite shocked at her findings, saying, ¡°We didn¡¯t know about this. Please give me a moment, and I¡¯ll go to you right away.¡±


    When Amber saw the importance that the police ced on this information, she felt like she could finally breathe. Perhaps the final oue still wouldn¡¯t be what she desired, but she fervently hoped that the people responsible for this would have to at least pay a portion of the deserved price.


    As such, once the policeman arrived, Amber told him about her own experiences in the little town in detail, and also gave him the video footage that Mr. Stanley had given her.


    Despite disagreeing with Mr. Stanley¡¯s attitude of protecting himself first, she had none the less promised to keep him anonymous. So, she could only say that the footage hade from a stranger¡¯s number. As to whom that number belonged to, honestly, Amber wasn¡¯t sure if the police could track it.


    As soon as the police took the footage away, this matter was out of her hands.


    After the police left, Amber felt a strange unease creep over her. Lowering her head, she found that there was a string of missed calls from Trysta, as well as Calvin¡¯s unread reply. ¡°Congrattions on finding your true love.¡±


    Amber abruptly changed the topic, and immediately replied back, ¡°Are you still at the hospital?¡±


    This time, Calvin responded quickly. ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Has Mrs. Kenric finished her checkup?¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡±


    Amber looked at the clock; it was already time to leave work. ¡°Let me treat the two of you to a meal.¡±


    Calvin asked, ¡°Are you still at the hospital?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Give me ten minutes, then?¡±


    Amber agreed, and then decided on a ce to meet. She packed up and started walking down the building¡¯s stairs. At this time of the day, there were quite arge number of patients taking the elevator, so Amber instead took the stairs down. As she walked, she tried to call Trysta, but her phone was busy the entire time.From N?velDrama.Org.


    ***


    In front of the psychiatry building was an expansive carpark. As Amber walked to the entrance, she raised her head and found a ck car parked on the opposite side. The car pulled up by her, and Calvin walked out.


    Trysta¡¯s call finally connected at this time, and the first thing Amber heard was her grumbling, ¡°I kept calling you but you didn¡¯t respond. Are you off work yet? Come over and eat ¡­ that heartless Calvin said that he would treat us, but just as we finished ordering, he ran off again ¡­ hey, hey!¡±


    Before Calvin could spot her, Amber retreated into the building once again, and then hid in an alcove as she sighed, ¡°I got it.¡±


    Trysta seemed displeased. ¡°What did you get?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡± Amber smiled. ¡°I don¡¯t have time to go over, so enjoy your meal.¡±


    Trysta got even more upset at those words. ¡°Gosh, you too? Even after I visited you at the hospital today?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll treat you next time.¡± She saw Calvin briskly walk into the building, stop by the side of the elevator, and then quietly wait in a noticeable spot.


    Amber also stood where she was, watching him silently. Time passed by quickly; after their most recent reunion, she constantly felt like he had changed greatly.

 Chapter 36. I WANT TO KISS YOU AGAIN

    Amber also stood where she was, watching him silently. Time passed by quickly; after their most recent reunion, she constantly felt like he had changed greatly. But after she looked at him more carefully, he actually hadn¡¯t changed all that much; he was still that youth with a slight tinge of silliness, someone who would drop everything and rush over in a heartbeat.


    Almost as if he could sense her gaze, Calvin suddenly turned his head around and noticed her standing behind him. After the glimmer of recognition passed, his face slowly morphed into a smile.


    Even though he wasn¡¯t as handsome as Ian when he smiled, anyone who looked at him would feel his golden sunshine-like smile wash over them, making them feel warm and happy.


    He walked over, a few minor hints of anxiety on his face. ¡°Did you wait long?¡±


    ¡°No, I just got down.¡±


    ¡°About that, Trysta and the others left early, and so did my mom. Although she won¡¯t be able to have dinner with you tonight, she said that next time, she will definitely catch up with you.¡±


    Perhaps Calvin himself didn¡¯t notice this habit of his-whenever he was nervous or trying to lie, he talked an abnormal amount.


    Amber smiled. ¡°Okay.¡±From N?velDrama.Org.


    Calvin became even more flustered from her simple response. His current behavior no longer reflected his calm demeanor that day at Trysta¡¯s wedding. Right now, he actually gave Amber feel a sense offortable familiarity.


    As a youth, Calvin and his family hadn¡¯t been too well off. He had no father and lived alone with his mother. The mother and son pair lived quite a frugal life. The food at the school¡¯s cafeteria wasn¡¯t great, so all of the students there had brought their own lunches to school, and ate bits and pieces of everyone else¡¯s food.


    Calvin was the only student that never brought food from home; during lunch, he would always stand silently to one side. Amber brought her own food several times, but she stopped once she noticed his situation. After all, it was more fun to be thick-skinned and steal food from Silvia and share it with Calvin.


    In the end, Calvin was able to gat her lots of food even without Amber¡¯s help, because he had a habit of speaking whenever he received food, which would make Silviaugh. She had once said to Amber that if giving Calvin food could make him, her idol, speak a few more words to her, then she would dly do it.


    Because of this, when Calvin started bringing his own food, his lunch box disappeared after just a few days.


    Now, many yearster, while he was sitting down with Amber and recounting the old times while having a meal together, Calvin asked her, ¡°Back then, were you the one who incited Silvia to take my lunch box away?¡±


    Amber innocently replied, ¡°No.¡±


    He didn¡¯t believe her, and looked at her suspiciously with squinting eyes. Amberughed at the image, and then honestly said, ¡°It¡¯s true. Silvia really likes you.¡±


    Calvin¡¯s face blushed slightly. Barely ncing at her now, he shyly asked, ¡°Then what about you?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Do you really like your boyfriend?¡±


    Could she really say that he had improvedpared to before? He hadn¡¯t been able to bear his curiosity any longer and had ended up asking her after all. Back then, a simr situation had urred; while they were studying, a male ssmate had, of his own ord, announced that Amber was his girlfriend. Calvin didn¡¯t even check with her regarding the truth of his words; when he saw the two of them walking together, he¡¯d automatically assumed that they were indeed in a rtionship. From that point on wards, he had started slowly drifting away from her.


    ¡°If I said that he wasn¡¯t my boyfriend, would you believe me?¡±


    Calvin hesitated for a moment before replying, ¡°Yes.¡±


    But Amber knew that he didn¡¯t actually believe her, and she could understand that; after all, even an ordinary couple wouldn¡¯t just kiss left and right so cavalierly ¡­ but she also couldn¡¯t exin this situation because of doctor-patient confidentiality.


    She looked him right in the eye. ¡°You don¡¯t have to force yourself to believe me. Honestly, if I were you, I probably wouldn¡¯t believe myself either.¡±


    Calvin¡¯s expression became agonizing. ¡°Ah, you¡¯ve seen through me ¡­ but the thought that someone loves and is protecting you isn¡¯t bad, either.¡±


    Amber smiled lightly, an unfathomable emotion wrapping around her heart.


    It tasted of some disappointment, probably, and a dusting of sadness. Whether in the pastor in the present, it seemed like he still couldn¡¯t take that final step.


    This was why she thought that love was actually like being trapped in an illusion; crazy people would go even crazier, but it could also make logical people even more logical.


    After thinking about it, she didn¡¯t want his misunderstanding to grow any deeper. ¡®Unfortunately, I¡¯ll be disappointing everyone because Ian and I really aren¡¯t a couple. At the very least, our feelings haven¡¯t reached that level. From my perspective, he¡¯s just using me as a shield; one day, sooner orter, I¡¯ll be useless to him and be set free.¡¯


    These were Amber¡¯s actual thoughts. She didn¡¯t expect that Ian had started to fall for her. To her, something like love at first sight couldn¡¯t possibly exist for a man like him. So, she believed that just like how she was treating him as a patient to be observed, the converse, him treating her as an object of observation, was also very likely to be true.


    Naturally, he was observing if she could, if she would help him.


    Calvin got to the heart of what she was saying. ¡°Freedom, you said? Did he do something that made you feel like you were not free?¡±


    Amber couldn¡¯t help but admire his sharpness. ¡°Of all that I said, that word is the one that you paid the most attention to?¡±


    Calvinughed. Clearly, this time, his smile was tinged with genuine mirth. ¡°I-¡±


    He could only get one word out before Amber¡¯s phone suddenly rang. Her phone was ced on the table, so when Ian¡¯s name appeared on the screen, both of them could see it.


    Calvin¡¯s remaining words were like a burr in his throat. Amber caressed her forehead in annoyance. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Let me take this call.¡±


    She quickly picked up the phone, as calm as ever.


    Ian was as direct as ever. ¡°Where are you?¡±


    Amber lifted up her cup and was about to drink some water. ¡°Is something up?¡±


    ¡°I need to see you.¡± His inflection was surprisingly severe.


    Amber instantly became more serious, thoughts flitting across her mind. Did something worse happen to Elly, or did her father get into some sort of ident after rushing out like that today? Or, did Ian¡¯s condition worsen? He¡¯d even ignored his germophobia to kiss her today, after all.


    She sat straight up and gave him her location. ¡°Are youing over now? What happened?¡±


    And then Ian¡¯s words made her realize that she should¡¯ve stopped overplicating things.


    ¡°Yes, I want to kiss you again.¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±

 Chapter 37. I DON’T NEED LOVE

    ¡°Uhuk ¡­ uhuk.¡± Amber started coughing violently and hung up reflexively.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Calvin asked, worried.


    Amber shook her hands, covered her mouth, and coughed for quite a while. It wasn¡¯t until she nearly reached the point of crying that the rm and shock from Ian¡¯s words finally settled down.


    Despite her being a psychiatrist, she wasn¡¯t too familiar with Ian¡¯s way of thinking, and was still asionally caught off-guard by his actions and words.


    ¡°Nothing¡¯s wrong, is there?¡± Calvin asked again.


    ¡°No, everything¡¯s fine,¡± Amber replied. ¡°Ian said that he needed to see me for something.¡±


    ¡°Then ¡­ should I leave?¡±


    ¡°Probably.¡± Amber couldn¡¯t keep him here, because she really wasn¡¯t sure what would happen after Ian arrived. From her limited knowledge of him, if he really wanted to kiss her, then he wouldpletely disregard whether or not other people were present.


    Pretending not to notice the disappointment in Calvin¡¯s eyes, Amber stood up and walked him outside the restaurant.


    ¡°I¡¯ll wait for him here. You can leave first.¡±


    Calvin nodded and got into his own car, sitting there for quite a while before finally starting the engine and leaving.


    It was already winter; at night, it was as cold as ice. The car window wasn¡¯t closed, and blustering gusts of wind blew in from the night air, cold and chilling.


    Calvin didn¡¯t feel much of anything evenwhile half frozen. He looked at the rearview mirror and saw Amber hugging her shoulders, standing there without moving.


    The wind lightly lifted one corner of her scarfin to the air, as if it were a butterfly tied to her back.


    That delicate butterfly scintited with a colorful light. When he was overseas, that hue had been the shore where his dreams would have taken off; however, when here turned, he betedly found that it had long since merged with the city, bing a rainbow arc that he might never be able to touch.


    ***


    Ian arrived quite a while after Calvin left. He had driven the car himself, refused Amber¡¯s offer to find a ce to talk, and directly asked her to get into the car.


    After she got into the car, he turned around to look at her. His gaze was fixed upon her lips, as if he were considering how best to kiss her.


    Amber found the scene strangely funny. Before he could do anything, she said, ¡°Can I ask, why do you want to kiss me?¡±


    She didn¡¯t feel all too awkward or taken advantage of. After all, he was a patient, and you couldn¡¯t use standard logic to evaluate their actions.


    Having drawn a line in the sand, Amber was very calm even in this situation.


    Ian behaved very coolly, as always. ¡°I¡¯ll kiss you if I want to; wasn¡¯t that what you said?¡± Impatiently, he thenmanded her, ¡°Come over here.¡±


    But of course, Amber wasn¡¯t just going to go over. She treated him as if he were a familiar friend that she had conversations with, and, as if giving advice, said, ¡°Mr. Axton, I truly think that you should go read some romance novels. A kiss doesn¡¯t take ce just because you want it to. If a man and woman truly love each other, then they don¡¯t have to kiss to demonstrate it; if they don¡¯t love each other, then even kissing won¡¯t make a difference.¡± She had always thought that love was a basic act that everyone instinctively understood, but after seeing Ian, she finally understood that some people naturallycked love. And as a result, naturally could not love.


    So, with regards to kissing, the psychiatrist part of her felt that it was her responsibility to correct him. ¡°Any intimate action that doesn¡¯t have love as its foundation is immoral. So, please don¡¯t do this in the future anymore, okay?¡±


    ¡°Love?¡± His forehead slowly scrunched up, even as his expression remained calm. ¡°Why do we have to make it soplicated? Don¡¯t we already have a contract?¡±


    Amber had no words to respond to him, and could only try to persuade him further. ¡°Your thoughts are wrong. Love is one of the most beautiful emotions that man kind has. You should try it out.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need love.¡± Ian snorted ather words disdainfully, and then looked straight at her. ¡°Don¡¯t expect to receive anylove from me. The only reason I want to kiss you is because I want to.¡±


    In this world, there really wasn¡¯t much that Ian desired, and it wasn¡¯t clear whether the fact that Amber had sparked this desire in him was a blessing or a curse.Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    But right now, Amber hadn¡¯t realized that she had ¡®gotten lucky¡¯, and she was trying her hardest to find the right words to convince him otherwise. But disregarding her feelings, Ian was growing impatient, and while she was still unprepared, he suddenly leaned over, turned her face towards his, and lightly kissed her.


    More urately, he lightly stuck his lips, on to hers.


    After a brief moment of panic, Amber quickly rxed. Without making a fuss or unnecessary motions, she just stood there, silently waiting.


    Before too long, Ian let go of her.


    He sat down two palms lengths from her, and looked at her, his eyes clear and bright.


    Amber didn¡¯t move at all. She even smiled as she asked, ¡°How does it feel?¡±


    ¡°Like nothing.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s normal, and it¡¯s because you don¡¯t love me. Only when we love each other will we feel our hearts race and our blood warm when we kiss.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never loved anyone.¡± Ian¡¯s voice was collected as he continued, ¡°But I like kissing you.¡±


    Amber didn¡¯t have a sufficient enough understanding of his illness to realize what ¡®liking¡¯ meant to the present him.


    But she instinctively turned serious as she exined, ¡°I¡¯m very honored, but I would still like to interact more in different ways before we kiss again. As you know, we haven¡¯t known each other for very long, and even if we have a contract, we¡¯re still essentially strangers.¡±


    Ian didn¡¯t deny her words. Amber felt somewhat relieved, and smiled as she asked, ¡°Alright. Now, can you tell me why you want to kiss me?¡±


    Ian turned his head around and looked her in the eye.


    Why? It was because he couldn¡¯t sleep, because life was boring, because he wanted to find something to do, and kissing her was about the only thing that he could think of. So he hade to find her.


    But Ian didn¡¯t want to reveal these thoughts to anyone. He opened the window, lit a cigarette, in haled, and only then, with some amount of distaste, said, ¡°You have too many ¡®whys.''¡±


    Amber made a brief choking sound.


    As she observed the cold expression on the side of his face, she felt that she couldn¡¯t break so easily under hisck of emotion. Thus, she pretended to not understand his words, and continued to harangue him. ¡°Am I too curious? Can you tell me why you think so? You need a reason to think so, surely. For example, back in the hospital, you were jealous that ¡­.¡±

 Chapter 38. LUCKY WOMEN

    ¡°Heh.¡± Ian startedughing, turning his head, and blew ayer of smoke into her face, his behavior so cool that it made people want to scream. However, the words that he said next instantly cleared hermind. ¡°Jealous? No. Our contract has asection about loyalty. I think that, before you can pay the fee for breaking it, you won¡¯t be doing anything.¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡± Amber opened her mouth slightly, but it took her a moment to find her words. ¡°Then why would you kiss me out of the blue?¡±


    Actually, he also couldn¡¯t exin why he had done that. Perhaps, it was just the nature of men? Ian wanted to ignore her, but she wouldn¡¯t stop talking. He got annoyed, and said, ¡°Because doing is easier than speaking. Is that enough reason for you?¡±


    The face that he made when he frowned and becamepletely cold without a single hint of warmth in his gaze was somewhat frightening. Amber weakly replied, ¡°Yes, I just want to know why you would randomly kiss me.¡±


    She tried to suppress the fact that she was the one who had been kissed. ¡°Was it because you suddenly realized that you were starting to like me, or because of your own desire, because you¡¯re curious? Or did you realize that kissing was a beautiful thing that you wanted someone to experiment with?¡±


    If the actual reason was thest option she presented, then that was a big step forward. It would mean that Ian¡¯s illness wasn¡¯t that serious; was his a loofness just because he hadn¡¯t realized the charm of intimacy?


    Ian looked at her, smiling, but also at the same time not. Under his gaze, Amber found it very difficult to keep speaking, and slowly stopped talking.


    But her gaze was obstinate, and her expression showed her determined resolve to get an answer.


    Ian found this behavior of hers surprisingly cute, and he asked, ¡°Is the reason that important to you?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t important to her personally, but it was very important to her understanding of his illness. Amber nodded her headfervently as she loudly replied, ¡°Yes!¡±


    Ian then gave her a perfunctory reason. ¡°Because of my desire.¡±


    She would be crazy to believe him!


    But Amber didn¡¯t expose his lie. She followed his lead and asked, ¡°Then, before this, did you have simr notions with anyother women?¡±From N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°NO.¡±


    His tone was blunt and crisp; evidently, he really hadn¡¯t.


    Amber was flummoxed. ¡°Then, to you, am I anything special?¡±


    Ian gazed at her. ¡°Especially ugly. Does that count?¡±


    ¡°¡­ Yes.¡±


    Seeing her speechless expression, the smile at the corner of his lips became much fuller. This time, his smile was rxed and mirthful, and his whole body seemed softer.


    Amber liked his current smile, and intentionally teased him. ¡°Mr. Axton.¡±


    He turned around.


    She made a mockingly serious expression. ¡°Let me tell you this, even though the truth is a form of beauty, but sometimes, lies make people happier. So, in the future, will you not speak as bluntly anymore?¡±


    Ian thought about it for a moment before responding in an even more serious tone, ¡°Sorry, no.¡±


    Ian¡¯s tone was rxed, even jokingly so as he refused her. Amber couldn¡¯t help but be startled, and then startedughing.


    She thought that she had more or less learned how to get along with him as a friend, and that she was approaching their rtionship less from a doctor-patient one. But she had suddenly thought of Elly. When she was living with that kind of family life, had anyone ever joked with her, orughed with her without caring for decorum?


    Perhaps the reason why she liked the graveyard was because only there could she say what she truly wanted to say.


    She suddenly wanted to go to the hospital to look at Elly again, so she said to Ian, ¡°Sorry, are you still busy? If not, I¡¯d like to go back to the hospital.¡±


    Ian looked at her questioningly.


    Amber exined, ¡°I want to go look at Elly.¡±


    He didn¡¯t say anything, and started the car to drive her back.


    He apanied her even up the stairs and followed her into the office. The doctor on the night shift wasn¡¯t there, and the room waspletely quiet.


    Amber changed into her work clothes and came out. When she saw that Ian was still there, she said, ¡°I might be a bitte, so you should head back first. Thank you for bringing me over.¡±


    Because she wanted to verify her thoughts as quickly as possible, Ambrr left immediately after saying that.


    ***


    Elly was currently entering the stage when she was the most active. But unlike before, after she had been given the sketchbook, she had clearly be much quieter. She sat there in the darkness, holding her pen, and drawing something that no one else had seen.


    Amber pushed the door open. After her eyes limatized to the darkness, she slowly walked over, still sitting five paces away from Elly.


    The sketchbook that she had left behind in the morning was still there. She picked it back up, and muttered to herself, ¡°What should I draw?¡± Her voice was very light. In this dark room, it was as light as a gentle wind, not frightening at all.


    Elly didn¡¯t hear it, or if she did, she didn¡¯t respond. Amber didn¡¯t mind, and continued to speak softly. ¡°I¡¯ll draw a little bunny, then, a little bunny afraid of the dark. It yelled out in a dark house, ¡®Is there anyone there? Please speak to me. I¡¯m scared, and it¡¯s too dark in here.¡¯ There was another bunny locked inside with it, a bunny who was very old.


    When he heard the other bunny¡¯s behavior, he said, ¡®What use are your actions? It¡¯s so dark in here that you can¡¯t even see me.¡¯ The little bunny replied, ¡®That¡¯s quite alright. As long as there¡¯s someone speaking, there¡¯s light.''¡±


    That whole night, Amber repeated this story over and over again. The sketchbook that she had drawn in was a mess, and because she couldn¡¯t see, she didn¡¯t even know what she had drawn.


    Elly never responded to her. After tiring herself out from drawing so much, Amber fell a sleep by the corner of the table.


    In the morning, when she woke up, the sky was already bright. The nurse on duty had walked in and woken her up. By then, Elly had also fallen a sleep. Amber slowly walked over, and noticed that a corner of the sketchbook in herp consisted of arge pile of messy lines.


    Walking out, Amber could only feel her four limbs aching. The nurse asked her, ¡°Dr. Camille, how did you end up sleeping in there?¡±


    Amber rubbed her eyes without speaking, and the nurse continued to say, ¡°You¡¯re really close with your boyfriend, aren¡¯t you? You fell a sleep in the patient¡¯s ward, but your boyfriend kept watch over you the entire night in the control room ¡­ Dr. Camille, you¡¯re really lucky.¡±


    Amber froze for a moment, then quickly ran into the office¡¯s inner room, leaving the nurse behind.

 Chapter 39. LUCKY WOMEN 2

    Ian was truly still there, sitting in front of the monitors. Upon seeing her enter, he raised his head and nced at her coolly.


    ¡°You ¡­.¡± She could only say one word before the door behind her opened again. The morning shift doctors hade in; at the very front was the doctor who had had a runin with her, her senior Beryl.


    ¡°Hey, everyone,e look. Our great Dr. Camille is really diligent. Didn¡¯t the head put you on leave? What are you doing back here?¡±


    Amber gulped down the words she was about to say, and beckoned to Ian. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    As Ian stood up to follow her out, the people outside naturally all saw him. Beryl yelled out, ¡°Hey, who¡¯s this? How could you let a stranger into that area?¡±


    Amber ignored him, pulling Ian out at a brisk pace. Even from far away, she could still hear Beryl. ¡°How arrogant,pletelycking all respect forw and order. Wasn¡¯t she put on leave? What¡¯s the point of running to the hospital daily? Who¡¯s she trying to impress?¡±


    After entering the elevator, Amber was finally able to take a deep breath. It was only then that she realized that Ian¡¯s hand was still sped in hers.


    She quickly released her hand, carefully ncing at him.


    Ian was looking at her with a thoughtful expression.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Amber rubbed her face as she asked, ¡°Are you alright? You sat there the entire night?¡±


    It was partly her fault. Last night, her attention had been entirely focused on Elly, and she had totally forgotten that this Mr. Axton was somewhat abnormal too.


    Ian just continued looking at her. Only after quite a while did he say, ¡°I¡¯m tired.¡±


    Amber, slightly relieved, replied, ¡°Oh ¡­ then go back quickly and get some rest.¡±


    ¡°So tired,¡± Ian emphasized again.


    Only then did Amber inspect him closely. He was clearly barely awake, and his eyes were even somewhat red.


    ¡°Then ¡­.¡± But before she could finish speaking, Ian¡¯s head drooped on to her shoulders, and his expression seemed like he was about to fall a sleep right then and there.Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    Amber couldn¡¯t speak.


    In the end, she could only bring him into her own bedroom.


    Amber was a very detail oriented person. Her room was neat and tidy, and even the corners of her room were free of dirt and grime.


    Ian would be very happy with its condition.


    Amber left him on the guest room¡¯s bed. The sheets were clean and well folded; when she was preparing the bed, she could even smell the sunlight that had seeped into them.


    Ian was probably extremely tired, as he fell a sleep almost immediately after getting into bed. Amber had originally wanted to cook him something to eat, but by the time she was done, he had already fallen into a deep sleep.


    ***


    Amber bathed herself and ate a light, unseasoned breakfast. Because she still had ss in the afternoon, she then made some preparations for it and then rested a while. Ian didn¡¯t wake up even after she made lunch.


    She didn¡¯t wake him up either, only leaving him a note, and leaving for the university right after she ate. That day, Nancy was also at the office dealing with her affairs, and Amber set a side some time to go discuss Elly¡¯s illness with her. Nancy agreed with her n of treatment. ¡°If the reason for her illness is indeed as you said, then she clearlycks trust. To make her ept treatment, obtaining her trust is the first step.¡±


    Amber said, ¡°I intend on drawing with her daily. Hopefully, that¡¯ll be effective.¡±


    Nancyughed. ¡°They say that doctors have to be humane; so you really made the right decision to be a doctor. But for something like this, isn¡¯t it better for her family members to do that? Didn¡¯t you say that she has a father? Isn¡¯t he back yet?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s back.¡± While remembering Elly¡¯s father behavior, Amber frowned. ¡°I just received a call from the police, and they say that he refused to reopen the incident. Given that the matter¡¯s already done and past, he doesn¡¯t want anything toe up again. It happened too long ago, and given Elly¡¯s current condition, if her guardian decides to not take the initiative, then it¡¯d probably be very difficult to regain justice for her.


    Nancy looked at her. ¡°You¡¯re disappointed by this turn of events?¡±


    Amber let out a deep breath. ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re still too young.¡± Nancy shook her head. ¡°This was such a vicious incident, so why did nothinge of the investigation two years ago? Do you think that after two years, some video footage without a clear start or end can change anything? If the Brown wanted to, or rather, if they were able to reopen the investigation, then they would have done so a long time ago.


    Their unwillingness to do so now is only human nature. There¡¯s nothing to be disappointed about. There are too many unfair things in the world. As a doctor, you can¡¯t impose your own judgment into your patients¡¯ affairs. Just focus on what you can do. Elly¡¯s illness is very special, and being able to treather will also be good for you.¡±


    Amber knew that Nancy¡¯s words were right, but they still left her with a heavy feeling in her heart. ¡°This is different, it¡¯s illegal ¡­.


    ¡°You have to learn something, there is always a darkness that thew cannot prate. If you try to dredge up everything, then I¡¯m scared that one day ¡­.¡±


    Before Nancy could finish, someone came inside and said, ¡°Professor Nancy, the principalis here for you.¡±


    She clearly couldn¡¯t continue the conversation. Nancy stood up. Just as Amber was about to send her off, she stopped her and said, ¡°Go back to teaching. I can go over by myself just fine.¡± After saying that, she patted Amber¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Everything will be fine given time.¡± As she was preparing to leave, she suddenly turned her head around again. ¡°Oh, right, I heard that you and Ian ended up visiting his parents, what¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°His grandparents are already preparing to build a new house for you, and they asked me about what sort of bridal room you¡¯d prefer ¡­!!

 Chapter 40. LIVING TOGETHER

    Amber was dazed by Nancy¡¯s sudden news.


    ¡°Really?¡± She was somewhat frantic. ¡°I thought I¡¯d exined things very clearly tohis family that time.¡±


    Because the principal was waiting for Nancy, Amber couldn¡¯t exin to her what had transpired in detail. ¡°Professor, please help me and clearly tell them what¡¯s going on. This is all a misunderstanding.¡±


    Nancy tutted, pointing her finger at her forehead. ¡°Silly girl, you must be stuck in Ian¡¯s trap.¡± Upon seeing Amber¡¯s dazed expression, she even smiled innocently. ¡°But if you really don¡¯t feel particrly strongly about love, then marrying him isn¡¯t a bad idea.¡±


    ¡°¡­ What do you mean, Professor?¡± Amber couldn¡¯t understand her professor¡¯s wordsone bit!


    Unfortunately, Nancy didn¡¯t exin. Amber tried to chase her down and ask her a few more questions, but all she got in response was, ¡°Actually, I¡¯m just guessing. Don¡¯t ask me now, as that might affect your diagnosis of his condition. But you don¡¯t need to worry. If you really want to break off the contract, then I¡¯ll make him give you a discount.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Should I thank you for that, Professor?¡±


    Nancyughed heartily, and then headed into the principal¡¯s office.


    ***


    Amber went to teach even as her face was ¡°al¡±. As ss was being let out, she received a call from her brother¡¯s-Ruby.


    Because Amber didn¡¯t answer it then, so he texted her instead. ¡°I¡¯m here with Mom to see you, soe homequickly after work.¡±


    Seeing this, Amber jumped up in fright. Ian was still sleeping over at her ce, who knew if he had left yet? If he hadn¡¯t, then with the circumstancesbined with his direct style ofmunication, Amber could only feel her head go numb.


    She quickly called Ruby. ¡°You guys are here?¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    ¡°Just you and mom?¡±


    ¡°Who else would be here?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Amber rubbed her forehead as she replied, ¡°A friend¡¯s resting over at myce, and I¡¯m not sure if my friend left yet or not.¡±


    ¡°A friend? Who? Male or female?¡±


    ¡°¡­ Female.¡±


    Ruby chuckled. ¡°Then no.¡±


    Amber let out a breath of relief. She had originally wanted to go back to the hospital, but since her mother and brother were here, then she could only go back home first.


    ***


    When she got back, the first thing she saw was her mother, her brother, and Ian sitting in a triangle in the living room, the atmosphere awkward beyond description.


    More importantly, Ian was naked! He was solely draped in a nket, coolly looking back at Amber¡¯s mother and brother¡¯s res.


    Amber entered, and the trio¡¯s gazesnded on her immediately. Her mother was very polite as she asked, ¡°You¡¯re back?¡±


    Her voice was warm enough to make Amber tremble.


    And then Ian also said, ¡°You¡¯re back?¡± But then he quickly followed it up with, ¡°I don¡¯t have any clothes to wear anymore.¡±


    Amber and her family were momentarily stunned and couldn¡¯t even think of a response.


    Her mother was the first to be furious, and threw a fierce ¡°Get over here!¡± at her, before entering her room.


    Ian looked at Amber with adignified and noble air, his expression seemingly stating, ¡°Your mother¡¯s mad, but it¡¯s got nothing to do with me.¡± It made Amber desperately want to hit him.


    Amber shifted her gaze to Ruby, who shrugged his shoulders at her, as if he had no part in all this.


    As Amber walked over into her room, she leaned down and whispered to him, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say there wasn¡¯t anyone else home?¡±


    Ruby innocently replied, ¡°Yes, but you only asked about females.¡±


    She wanted to keep arguing, but her mother was already shouting for her. ¡°You¡¯re still noting?¡±


    Amber could only reply, ¡°I¡¯ming.¡±


    As she entered the room, she saw her mother with hands on her hips, rotating on the spot.


    Amber closed the door gently, and obediently called out, ¡°Ma ¡­.¡±


    ¡°Not even calling out for your ancestors will save you now!¡± Her mother looked at her with a fierce expression. ¡°That man outside, is he really your boyfriend?¡±


    ¡°Aaa ¡­.¡±


    ¡°Stop aaa-ing at me!¡± Amber¡¯s mother was furious. ¡°What sort of eyes do you have? How could you find such a ¡­.¡± ncing outside, she lowered her voice even more as she angrily whispered, ¡°Do you know what he was doing when we entered? He was eating while naked! He frightened me so much, but he didn¡¯t even care, and continued to slowly eat his fill before draping him self in a nket. When I asked who he was, he said that he was your boyfriend ¡­ Oh my goodness, my heart!¡±


    Amber quickly rubbed her mother¡¯s chest, and helped her sit down on the bed. ¡°Don¡¯t be too agitated. Speak slowly!¡±


    ¡°How can I not be agitated? That behavior of his, I feel upset just looking at him! Daughter, are you looking for a boyfriend or a master? And even if it¡¯s thetter, can you at least find someone more respectable? Not even putting on clothes when his elders are here, could he act any more disrespectfully? Just like a hoodlum ¡­ stop smiling!¡±


    Amber really couldn¡¯t help herself from smiling, because her mother¡¯s choice of words were just too ipatible with Ian.


    Seeing her heartless behavior, Amber¡¯s mother became even more agitated. ¡°Can you take this a bit more seriously?!¡±


    Amber nodded. ¡°Why are the two of you here today?¡± Her parents were usually taking care of the shop and were generally very busy. Under normal conditions, they wouldn¡¯t go anywhere else.


    ¡°It¡¯s all your brother¡¯s fault. He said he heard from your ssmates that you had a boyfriend? Naturally, I came over to ask about your situation. When we ask you about such things, you always say you¡¯re not in a rush. But who knew that you could act so quickly when you wanted to-you¡¯re already living together with him!¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    Amber really felt maligned! She already told her friends not to spread the word, but they¡¯d still done so. Even worse, news had even somehow gotten into her mother¡¯s ears.


    Amber could only imagine her life getting even moreplicated from here on out, so she decisively chose not to exin the situation. Instead, she waited patiently as her mother nagged at her, and at the end, she promised once again, ¡°I¡¯ll break up with himfor sure, Mom. Don¡¯t worry.¡±N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    Seeing herpliant behavior, Amber¡¯s mother was finally satisfied. However, she couldn¡¯t help but warn her onest time. ¡°Remember to be kind, and don¡¯t hurt his feelings ¡­ he seems a bit dazed in the head, so don¡¯t offend him.¡±

 Chapter 41. [Untitled]

    Amber couldn¡¯t help butugh again. What she had taken to be a blunt personality was, in her mother¡¯s eyes, a person dazed in the head.


    Even though Amber¡¯s mother disparaged Ian, she still made a sumptuous dinner for everyone-she was primarily trying to take care of her daughter, who seemed to have gotten even skinnier since thest time they had met.


    Being a doctor was tiring.


    While making dinner, Amber¡¯s mother didn¡¯t let Amber help. Instead, she got Ruby to buy Ian a new set of clothes. While Amber was pouring water to drink, she heard her mother instruct Ian, ¡°Buy something nicer and treat it as your sister¡¯s fee for breaking up with him.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Amber was rendered speechless. She returned to the sofa in the living room, sat down, and then noticed that Ian¡¯s whole body was curled up under the nket as he calmly looked at his phone.


    She nced over at it, seeing that he was sending an e-mail in Deutsch.


    When he finished, Amber asked, ¡°If you didn¡¯t have any clothes to wear, why didn¡¯t you just stay in the room?¡±


    With a very righteous tone, Ian instead asked her, ¡°If my wife¡¯s mother is here, shouldn¡¯t I go and meet her?¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    She had thought that she was very well mannered and had gone through considerable ethical training, but Ian was somehow always able to gether riled up and furious.


    She really wanted to knock her head hard on this sofa and end it all. ¡°She¡¯s not your wife¡¯s mother! Alright, this isn¡¯t even the key point. Rather, my mom said that when they entered, you weren¡¯t wearing anything. How can you do that?¡±


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t.¡± As Ian said this, helifted up the nket, showing the underwear within. ¡°I was wearing this.¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡±


    ¡°My goodness!¡±


    Two exmations at the same time. Amber and Ian turned their heads around, and saw her mother and Ruby at the door of the kitchen. The pot in her hand ttered on to the floor, and Ruby knocked his head against the doorframe. ¡°I didn¡¯t see anything.¡± He had clearly hit his head, but he said this while covering his eyes. Then he gingerly stepped past the livingroom and out the door, running outside to get some new clothes.


    Slowly and carefully, Ian arranged the nket about himself again, where as Amber¡¯s mother balefully stared at her son and her daughter.


    During dinner that night, besides Ruby, everyone else was in low spirits.


    Amber didn¡¯t rest properly, so her appetite was poor. As for Ian ¡­ his dining etiquette was perfect, slow and elegant, but anyone watching him eat would have their appetite drained away: eating was nothing more than a task to him, and it didn¡¯t matter if he were hungry or the food were tasty.


    As the cook, Amber¡¯s mother was somewhat displeased with his behavior, and even more displeased when she saw her daughter¡¯s gazend on his body.


    She nned to give her daughter a stern talking-to at night, but Amber told her that she had to work the night shift. Additionally, her mother had to wake up early in the morning to open her diner, and it was unrealistic for her to stay overnight and dump everything on her husband. Thus, Amber¡¯s mother could only go home with a head full of worries.


    Even so, before she left, she made sure to see Ian out first.


    With regards to all of this, Amber just did as she was told. At any rate, time would be able to resolve everything; she wasn¡¯t in a hurry.


    ***


    After sending her mother and brother away, Amber returned to the hospital. Once it was time, she went to Elly¡¯s ward and apanied her in drawing. She persisted in doing this for quite some time-the hospital had finally let her return to work and had asked her to return to the clinic-but the results were still insignificant. Elly still did not permit anyone toe closer than five paces to her.


    During this period of time, Elly¡¯s father hade to visit her just once, to pay her hospital bills and an additional hundred thousand dor.


    At that time, Amber didn¡¯t know that he had paid so much money. She met him in her office. Compared to that day, Elly¡¯s father looked much paler, and he was wearing an attire simr to what he had worn that day, a ck armband on his arm.


    Seeing Amber¡¯s gazend on his armband, he covered it with his hand. ¡°I¡¯m sorry foring here like this, but today was mymother¡¯s funeral, so ¡­ Please excuse me.¡±


    From just his appearances, he certainly seemed like a dignified man.Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°My condolences.¡±


    Elly¡¯s father lips curved up imperceptibly as he said, ¡°I apologize for my actions that day; it was all my fault. In the past few days, the police came to talk to me. I know that you¡¯re a good doctor, and Elly¡¯s very fortunate to have met you. But those things are long past, and I don¡¯t want to pursue them any further. I¡¯d also like to ask you to not meddle in this affair any longer ¡­ if Elly can get better, that¡¯s great; if not, I¡¯m willing to keep paying for her stay here.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Amber didn¡¯t know what sort of expression to make. She looked at him, not saying anything for a long while, before finally taking out a sketchbook from a drawer and cing it in front of Elly¡¯s father. ¡°This is a book of sketches that your daughter has drawn while here. Take a look at it. If you still think that that matter¡¯s unimportant after wards, then I will respect your choice. But I have to say that, as a parent, if you cannot love your children, then at the very least, do not be an aplice to her problems.¡±


    Just as Nancy had said, she was only a doctor. The only thing she could do was to cure illnesses and treat patients. She couldn¡¯t be a savior for the masses, and neither did she want to.


    After leaving Elly¡¯s father alone, Amber walked out. Elly¡¯s nurse walked over, curiously looked inside the room, and then whispered in her ear, ¡°Dr. Camille, Elly¡¯s fees are paid in fullnow, and her father even paid an extra hundred thousand dor. Her father spent so much money at once; is he trying to keep her here for her entire life?¡±


    Amber could only smile coolly. ¡°Who knows?¡± She looked through the security camera as Elly¡¯s father slowly flipped through Elly¡¯s sketchbook. The nursemented, ¡°Elly really has a talent for drawing. What a pity.¡±


    Amber didn¡¯t respond. She looked at Ian¡¯s father as he flipped through the book, page by page, clutching his chest as tears started slowly dripping from his face.

 Chapter 42. BREAKING THE ICE

    If Amber could have predicted what would happenter, she probably wouldn¡¯t have used those drawings to force Elly¡¯s father into action. Or, at the very least, she would have tried a gentler approach, so as to slowly uncover the past with him.


    Just as the nurse had noted, Elly was very gifted at drawing. Her drawings were filled with emotion. Amber had seen one, and just that single picture had made her feel as if her own heart had been dipped in a bitter brine.


    The drawings that she had made in the darkness were filled with dark emotion. The main body of the drawing wasposed of uneven, messy lines. But in the messiness, you could always see a hint of something else: anger, despair, and a sense of helplessness.


    The nurses said that her drawings were likely of ghosts and malicious spirits, but Amber knew that that interpretation was false. Elly was drawing the world as she saw it: ugly, dismal, and corrupt. Compared to a flower by the roadside, even a maggot in a coffin would be cuter.


    And just as Amber knew this, so too did Elly¡¯s father.


    After seeing those drawings, he left without saying a single word. Amber didn¡¯t question him.


    She continued to stay by Elly¡¯s side in the evenings and through the night, the period when she was most active. For this reason, after Amber finished her work in the clinic, she had applied for a month¡¯s worth of night shifts that the other doctors were all too happy to hand over. Her personality was serious, and once a patient was handed over to her, she felt that she should do as much as she could to cure them.


    And she hadn¡¯t wasted her efforts in vain, because, after almost a month since Amber had started apanying her every night, Elly finally responded to her.


    There were no signs that it would happen that day. As Amber entered, Elly had ignored her as usual. As Amber drew and talked to her, she didn¡¯t respond either. Honestly, Amber had be somewhat disappointed at that point, and was nning to adjust her strategy for the longer term.


    However, she was so tired that day that she fell a sleep by a corner of the wall again. In the middle of the night, she suddenly woke up, roused by movement to her side. When she opened her eyes, she saw Elly half kneeling beside her. Under the dim light, her eyes gleamed bright, just like the eyes of a little animal.


    And then she felt something on her neck, something very sharp. She realized that it was most likely the drawing pen that she had given to Elly, whose nib was sharp enough to be used as a weapon.


    Behind her, the door opened. The doctors and nurses on duty had realized that something was wrong and rushed in. As the door opened, light leaked into the room. However, the ones who entered were still careful enough to not rush in like a crowd of bees. The nurse on duty was the first to poke her head in, and she slowly called out, ¡°Dr. Camille.¡±


    Amber wasn¡¯t going to die from being struck by a pen; she was more scared of startling Elly.


    Seeing this, the nurse didn¡¯te in, but she didn¡¯t leave either. Everyone just stood at the door and watched them alertly.


    Elly didn¡¯t seem to notice any of themotion at the door. She just continued to watch Amber with all her attention, the tip of her pen slowly sliding across Amber¡¯s neck as it traced her artery up and down.


    Amber was afraid even of swallowing her saliva. She looked up at her, and then softly called out her name. ¡°Elly.¡± Softly, again. ¡°Elly.¡±


    The pen on Elly¡¯s hand finally stopped moving. She listened for a while, and then looked at her.


    Amber tried very hard to rx, and made her voice as soft and warm as she possibly could. ¡°Do you want to listen to a story? Shall I tell you a story? There was once a girl named Elly Brown. She was very scared of the darkness. In a pitch-ck house, she yelled out, ¡®Is anyone there? Please speak to me. I¡¯m scared, and it¡¯s too dark in here.''¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not right.¡± Elly suddenly spoke up.


    Amber stopped breathing. She almost thought that she had misheard, but just a momentter, she heard her say, ¡°That¡¯s not right, it¡¯s a little rabbit.¡±


    Ambet smiled, and lightly replied, ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s a little rabbit. A little rabbit was scared of the dark, who yelled out in a pitch-ck room ¡­.¡±


    She retold the entire story from the very beginning. Elly listened very attentively. The pen nib next to her throat made Amber very ufortable, but she didn¡¯t move, almost as if she wasn¡¯t cognizant of it.


    After finishing the story, she asked Elly, ¡°This ce is so dark. Are you scared?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± she said, then quietly shushed Amber. ¡°Be softer. Don¡¯t wake them.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°Ghosts, evil. Very evil ghosts.¡±


    ¡°Who¡­ are they?¡±


    ¡°Ghosts, there. So many of them.¡± Elly knelt by her ear, started muttering ¡°so many¡± multiple times in quick session, and then finally let go of Amber while shivering. She climbed back into the bed, sat down, and started ceaselessly drawing again.


    This seemed to be the start of the barrier between them breaking down. When Amber entered her ward again the next night, Elly let her stand even closer to her. asionally Elly would even talk toher. When she finished drawing and Amber asked if she could see it, she would even show her the drawings. Her antics, very reminiscent of a little girl sharing her secrets, made Amber¡¯s heart ache and her mouth sigh with sorrow.


    ***From N?velDrama.Org.


    After that day, Elly¡¯s father never visited again. Despite the arduous task a head of them, the police were also making progress little by little. They had found some new information and were following up on it now.


    Everything seemed to be progressing in the right direction, but her perilous situation that day eventually made its way to the head of the department. First, her head came to talk with her, and then the director. In the end, Amber wasn¡¯t able to avoid her fate of being brought into their office ¡°for tea.¡±

 Chapter 43. AXTON’S FAMILY BANQUET

    ¡°Don¡¯t you know that she¡¯s considered a dangerous patient? And you dared to stay in the same ward as her without taking any precautions?¡± Amber¡¯s head department called her reckless.


    The director, meanwhile, even brought her professor into the mix. ¡°She was already off the beaten path, but you, you¡¯re even further off than she was. What can I say!?¡±


    Amber simply sat and nodded at the appropriate moments. Using one of her colleague¡¯s favorite catch phrases, she said, ¡°I¡¯ll admit it when I¡¯m wrong, but I¡¯ll never regret it.¡±


    Because she had broken standard protocol, Amber was criticized by the whole department, and even had to reflect on her actions during a department meeting. But to her, if this was the price to have a breakthrough in Elly¡¯s illness, then it was a paltry price to pay.


    After Nancy found out, she called her, and after hearing her thoughts, could only smile and say, ¡°Not bad, you¡¯re growing quickly. As a psychiatrist, you certainly can¡¯t use the same treatment for everyone. If mental illnesses could all be solved by tying the patients up, giving them shots, and feeding them drugs, then what would be the use of us psychiatrists?


    All you would need would besome strong guards at that point. Ignore those people. They¡¯re just scared of having to deal with responsibility. But-¡± As Nancy said this, her tone grew more serious. ¡°Your behavior is still too dangerous. You can¡¯t just put yourself in dangerous situations like this either.¡±


    Amber nodded. ¡°Yes, I understand. I won¡¯t do it next time.¡±


    ¡°You sound very in sincere.¡± Nancy shook her head.


    Amber didn¡¯t dare say anything more.


    Nancy relented and said, ¡°Fine, I¡¯m not trying to criticize you. I just want to tell you that being a doctor isn¡¯t like being an academic. In your eyes, your behavior might just be you trying your best to treat an illness. But in other people¡¯s eyes, it¡¯s easily seen as a short sighted action of someone pushing a head while disregarding danger. You¡¯re still young and have a bright future ahead-the road of a doctor is very long, so walk steadily and don¡¯t let unnecessary things trip you up.¡±


    Amber noted Nancy¡¯s advice down seriously.


    Nancy smiled. ¡°It¡¯s just a little piece of advice from my end. I¡¯ll be happy as long as you keep it in mind. Actually, the reason I called you in today was to tell you this: Ian¡¯s grandfather birthday is tomorrow, and they¡¯re quite serious about inviting you. Do you have any spare time to attend?¡±N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    After thinking a bit, Amber said, ¡°This is a bit improper, isn¡¯t it?¡± She had earlier asked Nancy to rify to them her situation with Ian, and it seemed that his grandparents had epted the truth and understood Amber¡¯s worries. Thus, they had indeed stopped applying stress on Ian by bringing up marriage in front of him. As a result, she felt somewhat in appropriate by epting this invite from them at this time.


    Nancy replied, ¡°Then it¡¯s up to you. The two of them haven¡¯t given up yet, but it¡¯s also fine if you don¡¯t go.¡±


    ***


    Amber wasn¡¯t nning on going, but the next day, Ian came over himself to fetch her. Recently, he had been travelling abroad for work, where as Amber worked at night and slept during the day. This all meant that she hadn¡¯t seen him for quite a few days. When she saw him for the first time in a while, she even felt slightly ufortable the key issue being that he seemed to have gotten even more handsome. Or perhaps, the sun wasn¡¯t so bright in the winter, so he was turning even more paler.


    He was originally quite handsome; his lips were thin like an elegant wood carving, his nose high and prominent, and his eyes like jet-ck ink. When his skin paled even more, it entuated his refined features to the point that he looked almost like a work of art.


    But, as usual, he was still cool andposed, and his tone was hard enough to pound someone into paste. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Amber asked, ¡°Where to?¡±


    ¡°My house.¡±


    When she repeated her question, he said, ¡°You¡¯re my girlfriend. How can you not attend my grandfather¡¯s birthday celebration?¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    Despite the fact that she had cleared things up with Ian¡¯s family, she clearly would never be able to rify the situation with Ian himself.


    Amber had no choice but to get dressed and follow Ian to his grandfather¡¯s birthday banquet. Anyway, his family all knew what was going on and about his mental illness, so Amber didn¡¯t mind being dragged every which way by him.


    ***


    The banquet wasn¡¯t a big affair-after all, his grandfather wasn¡¯t reaching a nice round age-but it couldn¡¯t be considered small either. There were still at least a few tables full of people, and Amber had even run into someone she knew.


    ¡°Amber.¡± It was Calvin who saw her first, and he immediately came over and greeted her when he saw that she was alone.


    He wasn¡¯t all that surprised, but his mother behind him was. ¡°Amber?¡±


    She actually still remembered her! Amber smiled and responded, ¡°That¡¯s me. It¡¯s good to see you again, Mrs. Kenric.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good to see you too.¡± Calvin¡¯s mother looked her up and down, a few notes of regret in her familiar tone. ¡°How long has it been? You¡¯ve grown more and more pretty over the years.¡±


    Realizing where they were, she asked, ¡°You¡¯re quite familiar with the Axton family?¡±


    ¡°Somewhat. My professor is very familiar with Mr. Ian Axton¡¯s grandfather.¡±


    ¡°Professor ¡­? You¡¯re still in school?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s been two years since I graduated. I meant to say that it¡¯s my professor backwhen I was in medical school.¡±


    ¡°Medical school, oh. You must be a doctor, then ¡­ or a nurse? A nurse is quite are spectable profession for females.¡±


    Amber smiled without saying anything, but Calvin was so embarrassed that he couldn¡¯t help but interject, ¡°Mom, Amber a doctor at Presbiterian Hospital.¡±


    ¡°Oh, at Presbiterian, huh. That¡¯s a good ce. I was even there to get my illness treated a while ago.¡± Calvin¡¯s mother response was very natural, and she even rebuked Calvin a little. ¡°This child didn¡¯t even tell me that you were there.


    Amber didn¡¯t know what to say. She could only note that Calvin¡¯s mother had changed greatly since thest time she saw her. From her memory, she seemed to be a pretty but somewhat anxious woman, always wore cheap clothes, and in order to let her and her son live a somewhat better life, worked multiple jobs a day.


    But now, his mother was now wearing a white fur coat over a ck silk dress. After ten years, she looked younger than ever, but the anxiety in her eyes had been reced by an arrogance and snobbishness that left others slightly ufortable.


    They didn¡¯t talk for long before Calvin¡¯s mother dragged him away. Amber saw that Calvin was being helplessly pushed toward a well-dressed man by his mother, and not knowing why, she sighed lightly.

 Chapter 44. ACCIDENT

    Besides Calvin and his mother, Amber didn¡¯t know anyone else in the house, Nancy hadn¡¯te, and Ian was busy. Although his grandparents were somewhat close to her, their intimate way of interacting with her made Amber quite ufortable. With nothing else to do, she hid in a corner and started ying games on her phone.N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    She hadn¡¯t yed this game in a long time; it was a webgame called ¡®Escape from the Apocalypse.¡¯ The year that she graduated, she had given her ount to Ruby and never logged in again. As she tried to start ying again, she found that Ruby had even changed her password.


    Amber stared at her phone, dumb founded. Just as she was about to call Ruby to ask for the new password, Calvin suddenly walked in from behind the curtain. ¡°How did you end up sitting here?¡±


    Amber put her phone away again and smiled. ¡°It¡¯s quiet.¡± Seeing him, she asked, ¡°Did you escape?¡±


    Calvin could onlyugh bitterly. ¡°It seems like you always end up seeing my family¡¯s unruliness and my difficult situations.¡±


    Amber shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s not a big deal.¡± She changed the topic quickly as she said. ¡°Your mother is looking younger and younger with each passing year. When you stand by her, you look more like her brother than her son.¡±


    Calvin smiled, but his jovial mask betrayed the underlying bitterness.


    ¡°Thank you. She remarried, and her new husband¡¯s background is pretty good, these past years ¡­.¡± He lowered his head, held his face with his hands, and pulled on it with both hands in anguish. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. My mother behaved quite rudely just now.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. I didn¡¯t feel like she was rude. ¡°After thinking for a moment, she pulled two sweets out of her bag. ¡°I only have these two left, but do you want them?¡±


    ¡°You ¡­.¡± Calvin raised his head, and looked dazedly at the sweets in her hand. The colorful wrapping and the little squirrel with a smile so wide that one could see its teeth but not its eyes brought aforting sense of familiarity to him.


    In the past, he had owed her many a favor that he couldn¡¯t return. All he could give back to her were sweets: ten little squirrels for a single dor, cloyingly sweet.


    He had found an excuse and said that, ¡°Sweets are sweet. If you eat more sugar, you¡¯ll find that life isn¡¯t as hard anymore.¡±


    From then on, she dly took some of his sweets, and, slowly, developed her own habit of buying some wherever she went.


    Amber said, ¡°Yes, I¡¯m still eating them. The more I eat, the more that I feel that your words back then held some truth to them.¡± She unwrapped the sweet and gave it to him. ¡°What do you think?¡±


    Calvin looked at the sweet, and felt his heart surge with emotion. ¡°Amber, I ¡­.¡±


    ¡°Calvin! Why are you here?¡± Calvin¡¯s mother found him at that moment. Originally her face had been full of reproach, but she started smiling a bit when she noticed Amber¡¯s presence. ¡°Ah, Amber here too?¡±


    She looked at the two of them somewhat sternly. ¡°The two of you are already old ssmates, so what are you doing here hiding from the gathering? Go outside, it¡¯s solively! Young people should interact with others more.


    As she said this, she pulled Calvin up, and also was about to pull Amber up too if Amber hadn¡¯t avoided her hand. Amber then took out her phone again, and waved it as an excuse. ¡°Mrs. Kenric, please don¡¯t wait for me. I¡¯ll head over once I make a call.¡±


    Calvin¡¯s mother said, ¡°Alright, then we¡¯ll be going first.¡± She turned around to look at Calvin, her gaze somewhat severe. Despite his unwillingness, Calvin could only be grudgingly follow her out.


    Before he left, he looked at Amber again and said, ¡°I¡¯lle find you againter. Will you wait for me?¡±


    Amber smiled, but didn¡¯t answer. She thought that perhaps Calvin¡¯s mother didn¡¯t want her to say yes. Evidently, as soon as she went out to catch a breath, she heard his mother lecturing him. ¡°Why are you so impatient? What am I doing all this for? I only obtained this chance for you to be here after bothering your uncle for so long; why can¡¯t you cherish it more?


    If you don¡¯t want me to n out a path for you, then at least do more for yourself, like Trysta fromst time. Her background and her groom¡¯s background were both pretty good. Since you¡¯re all old ssmates, you definitely could have taken the chance to borrow some of her influence. But what did you do? You said that you were going to invite them out to eat, but you left the lunch halfway through you, what do you want me to say!¡±


    ¡°Mom, I don¡¯t like this sort of behavior.¡±


    ¡°Then what do you like? That doctor Amber Camille? Son, you can reminisce about the past with her at any time, but why must you do it now? I heard that she was only a doctor, and even one from the psychiatry department at that. She won¡¯t be able to help you one bit-what¡¯s the point of sticking with her?¡± After saying this, she suddenly remembered something, and then looked critically at her son. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that you like her.¡±


    Calvin remained silent.


    His mother could only sigh. ¡°Regarding matters of love, I really shouldn¡¯t be meddling with your life, but, Calvin, youhave to remember that love isn¡¯t all there is to life, and it isn¡¯t a necessity either. You¡¯re still young. This is the best time to start and develop a foundation for your career, so I hope you¡¯ll ce more focus on that.


    As you know, your uncle has his own children, so the resources that he can provide you with are limited. I also don¡¯t want him to think that the two of us need his support to do well, so please make something out of yourself and live well for others to see. If you don¡¯t want to use marriage as a tool for advancement, then at least find someone with the same mindset as you, who can help you out in your career. Calvin, I don¡¯t want your life to be as tough as mine ¡­.¡±


    Amber didn¡¯t keep listening. She put on a smile and turned around to enter the house once more.


    ***


    Once she entered, she found that Nancy had arrived and was chatting happily with Ian¡¯s family. As she came in, she heard her ask, ¡°Ah, where¡¯s your second grandson. Is he not here on this asion?¡±


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t mention that little brat. Being the introvert that he is, he said that there were too many people, and I really ¡­.¡± As Ian¡¯s grandmother was talking, she spotted Amber and quickly smiled and waved at her. ¡°Ah, Dr. Camille¡¯s here! Quickly,e over.¡± She went forward and grabbed her hand, smiling a miably. ¡°Ian¡¯s father is here too, let me introduce the two of you.¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    ¡®Could she refuse?¡¯


    Honestly, no. She couldn¡¯t, because Ian¡¯s grandmother had already called Ian¡¯s father over. ¡°Come, this is your son¡¯s ¡­ um, friend, Amber. Isn¡¯t she pretty?¡±


    Amber was quite certain that the olddy had skipped over the word ¡°girl,¡± but she couldn¡¯t argue. Instead, she made her best attempt to smile at his father and greeted, ¡°Nice to meet you, Mr. Axton.¡±


    Ian¡¯s father was about fifty years of age,rge and tall. Ian looked somewhat simr to him, but younger and with more refined features.


    Regardless, his father was certainly acharming silver fox.


    His voice was especially nice, as it held the special charm of a man of his age. His gaznded on Amber¡¯s face as he smilingly greeted back, ¡°I¡¯ve heard of you. Nice to meet you.¡±


    Amber smiled. Trying to act like a virtuousand dignified woman was tiring on her heart and soul, and she wished fervently that an angel woulde and rescue her.


    As if answering her plea, just as Amber was starting to feel out of it, her phone rang. It was the hospital.


    Just like a pardoned convict, Amber felt like she had been freed as she excused herself from the crowd. At that point, she had already made her mind up to find an excuse to leave after taking the call. But once the call connected, the first thing she heard was Elly¡¯s piercing screech. ¡°Aaahh!! Aaahh!!¡±


    Upon hearing her sudden scream that carried with it an uncontroble fear, Amber jumped up in fright and quickly asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    The nurse anxiously replied, ¡°Come quickly, Dr. Camille! Something happened, something happened to Elly! Come quickly!¡±

 Chapter 45. KISS

    Amber quickly hung up and was about to leave immediately when Nancy noticed that something was wrong. She quickly stopped her and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Professor, there¡¯s something¡¯s wrong with a patient, and I have to leave for the hospital immediately.¡±


    ¡°Alright, go ahead,¡± Nancy replied as soon as she heard Amber¡¯s answer. As she watched her leave hurriedly, she called her back again a momentter. ¡°Wait a moment. I¡¯ll call Wendy to drive you there.¡±


    ¡°No need, let Ian send her. He drives quickly.¡± Ian¡¯s grandfather had intercepted her as well, and he quickly called for Ian, who had been talking to someone by his side. ¡°Quick, quickly send Dr. Camille back to the hospital.¡±


    The whole room was in somewhat of an uproar at Ian¡¯s grandfather words, but during this time, Amber had already raced outside. Ian raised his eyebrows, not saying anything, and stepped out quickly.


    As Amber walked outside, she ran into Calvin and his mother.


    Calvin called out, ¡°Amber ¡­.¡±


    Amber reluctantly stopped, and apologetically said, ¡°Sorry, but I have something urgent to attend to. I¡¯ll be leaving now. Goodbye, Mrs. Kenric.¡±


    After blurting out a quick couple of sentences, she left immediately. Not long after, Ian came, following her footsteps. Just as Calvin¡¯s mother was about to greet him, even calling out ¡°Ian,¡± Ian had already walked across the corner of the garden, and not even his shadow could be seen a secondter.


    Calvin¡¯s mother was somewhat upset, her face sinking. Before she could say anything, she heard her own son say, ¡°Mom, something seems to have happened to Amber. I¡¯ll go find out what¡¯s wrong.¡±


    ¡°What are you going for?¡± Calvin¡¯s mother quickly tried to restrain him.


    But she wasn¡¯t fast enough to do so this time. Calvin pulled away and chased after the two, leaving his mother standing in her original spot, so angry that her lungs were beginning to hurt.


    Amber evidently didn¡¯t know who was following her. She had originally intended to take a taxi, but before one could arrive, Ian had driven in front of her with his car. He didn¡¯t say anything, merely stopping the car by the roadside, rolling down the windows, and looking at her beckoningly.


    Amber nced at him and then got in the car. It wasn¡¯t rush hour yet, so there weren¡¯t that many cars on the road. With some goodluck, they quickly arrived at the hospital.


    When she got there, she saw Elly once again strapped on to her bed. She was struggling and screeching like a wounded beast. In fact, she was making so much noise that the other patients in the ward had also started yelling, keeping the whole floor in aconstant state of uproar.


    The doctor on duty was once again Amber¡¯s senior, Beryl Arva. Just as he was about to perform electroconvulsive therapy on her, the instruments in his hand millimeters from touching her skin, Amber arrived. ¡°Dr. Beryl,¡± Amber said as she grabbed his hand. ¡°Thank you for your work, but can you leave my patients to me?¡±


    Beryl turned around, smiling. ¡°Sure. I¡¯ve heard that you¡¯re quite unconventionalin your methods and particrly dislikeusing ECT. Show us what you¡¯ve got, then.¡±


    Amber ignored his strange behavior. She walked in front of him, pushed him out of the way, and then looked at the medical personnel holding Elly down. She took a deep breath and ordered, ¡°Let go of her. You guys can leave now.¡±


    She started removing the constraints keeping Elly tied to the bed, but a concerned nurse stopped her. ¡°Dr. Camille, bshe¡¯s in terrible condition right now.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Amber really wanted to sigh.


    ¡®A whole month¡¯s of hard work, but had it all gone down the drain?¡¯Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    She put her gloves on. ¡°You guys can all go out first. There are too many people, and she¡¯s too scared right now.¡±


    Not only were there too many people, but the light in the room was also too bright. Someone had opened all of the blinds thatbhad been kept closed ever since Elly entered the ward, causing the sunlight tond squarely on Elly¡¯s ghastly pale face.


    ¡°Get out!¡± Amber emphasized again, and then she went forward, grasped Elly¡¯s hand tightly, and started calling her name lightly as she loosened her constraints. ¡°Elly, Elly ¡­ can we quiet down a little?¡±


    Just as Elly¡¯s hand constraints were released, her upper body suddenly sprang up. She wanted to run out, but her feet were still tied down, and she continued screeching and struggling uncontrobly, closing her eye sand iling her fists around.


    Amber got hit quite a few times, and she had to hug her tightly in an attempt to pacify her.


    Elly¡¯s energy was actually almostpletely used up. When she realized that she couldn¡¯t push Amber away, she lowered her head and fiercely bit down on Amber¡¯s arm.


    It had been pretty cool thest couple of days, so Amber wasn¡¯t wearing very thick clothing. Elly¡¯s bite prated quite deeply, and a throbbing pain immediately shot through her bones, making her feel as if her hand had been half-bitten off.


    But she didn¡¯t do anything, only hugging Elly even more firmly with one hand and unceasingly patting her back with the other.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, we¡¯re fine. Elly, everything¡¯s okay.¡± Amber lightly whispered into her ear. ¡°It¡¯s bright, and we¡¯re not scared anymore.¡±


    She didn¡¯t know if her month of apanying Elly through the night had been effective, but Elly gradually calmed down, and then released Amber¡¯s arm from her mouth.


    Amber released the breath that she had been holding in. If Elly hadn¡¯t let go, her hand might have been crippled. She supported her, her hands lightly running over her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s bright. Aren¡¯t you going to open your eyes and see the light?¡±


    But Elly didn¡¯t open her eyes. Shey in herp, her whole body trembling and shaking.


    Without any other recourse, Amber eventually had to give her a shot so she could fall a sleep slowly.


    ***


    After shutting the blinds and restoring the room to its usual state, Amber walked out of the ward. Her entire body was damp, as if she had just been pulled out of a pool of water. There were quite a number of people standing outside Elly¡¯s ward, including doctors, nurses, and even colleagues from other departments who had heard the news and hade to help. Among these people, Amber even saw Ian and Calvin.


    ¡°Nothing¡¯s wrong, is it?¡±


    Amber shook her head, smiling at them tiredly. Her gaze turned toward the nurse on duty, and she asked, ¡°What exactly happened? How did she suddenly end up like this?¡±


    ¡°It was Elly¡¯s aunt. She came to visit her, and something she did seemed to trigger Elly.¡±


    ¡°Aunt?¡± Amber frowned. If she remembered correctly, then Elly shouldn¡¯t have an aunt, only a great-aunt. However, that great-aunt had a terrible rtionship with her family. She took a deep breath, and then asked, ¡°Where is she now?¡±


    The nurse ran out to look for her, but returned not longter. ¡°She¡¯s gone.¡±


    Amber couldn¡¯t help but ground her teeth in frustration. ¡°Go look around and try your best to find her.¡±


    She really wanted to yell at someone, but given the situation, who could she yell at? Elly¡¯s situation was stabilizing, and it was natural for her family to be allowed to visit her. Who could she yell at?


    The doctors and nurses left quickly as Amber¡¯s mood became obvious. But she remained standing there, taking her time to recover and wrestle her emotions back under control.


    Calvin asked, concerned, ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    He sighed as hemented, ¡°I haven¡¯t seen a doctor who cares as much about her patients as you.¡±


    Amber could onlyugh bitterly. As she was about to reply, her gaze in advertentlynded on Ian.


    He looked very normal, his body straight, as quiet as a pine tree. But if one looked closely, it was evident that something was wrong. His gaze was dim and the atmosphere around him frigid, just like a bowstring pulled too tight, one that could snap at anytime.


    Amber¡¯s heart contracted. Just as she was about to approach him, Calvin stretched out his hand and touched her. ¡°Your hand ¡­ you should take care of it first.¡±


    Only now did Amber realize how much it hurt!


    She yelped lightly, shook her head, took two steps forward, and then grabbed on to Ian¡¯s sleeve.


    ¡°Ian.¡± Her voice was caring and warm, calling for him gently. ¡°My hand hurts. Can you help me?¡±


    He looked as if he didn¡¯t hear her. Instead, his gaze seemed to be focused on theemptiness beyond as he stood there, stock still. She repeated her self, and only then did he seem toe alive again, turning his eyes to look at her.


    Amber also looked at him, seemingly ignoring his unusual behavior, and instead smiling charmingly. ¡°Are you not going to help me? Then are you really my boyfriend?¡±


    When Calvin heard this, his face darkened.


    Ian looked at her in a daze for quite a while before he stretched out his hand, and pulling her along steadily.


    Amber rxed and started thinking about what else she could say to make him feel morefortable. But then his hand pulledtightly, and she fell into his bosom.


    She had originally wanted to push him away, but his body was trembling. And in this moment of hesitation, Ian leaned down and kissed her.


    ¡°¡­.¡±

 Chapter 46. CRIME AND EVIL part 1

    When Amber regained her wits, she found that she and Ian were the only two people on the street, and that Calvin had left some time ago.


    She was still a bit dazed and somewhat scared because Ian¡¯s kiss this time was quite different from the previous two times. He had learned to stick his tongue out somewhere, and despite not having any finesse, had licked her lips and face like a little dog. This kiss had shocked Amber more than any other.


    When he tightly embraced her, she could also feel that he had gotten an erection.


    ¡®This was ¡­.¡¯


    She clutched her face. At the very least, he hadn¡¯t done anything about it, but she guessed that it wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t want to, but rather that he ¡­ didn¡¯t know how to? This guess came from the fact that he was currently looking strangely at the lower half of his body, and even reaching his hand out as if to touch it.


    When Amber saw his movements, she felt ck lines streaking a cross her forehead, and she quickly grabbed his hand. ¡°Let¡¯s go. My hand¡¯s really about to break off.¡±


    She pulled him back to the office with her, only rxing once she saw that he had calmed down-given his earlier behavior, she was worried that if her colleagues saw him, they would beat and throw him out as if he were a hoodlum.


    Amber had Ian sit down. He did so obediently, like a deep thinker sitting with his back straight and head held high and coolly. His indescribable antics made Amber want tough at the absurdity.


    She pursed her lips, not thinking about him, but not leaving the room either. She took her jacket off and prepared to look at the arm that Elly had bitten.


    When she rolled up her sleeves, even Amber herself was a bit shocked by the sight. Elly¡¯s bite had been very fierce indeed, and there was a clear set ofrge and round tooth marks embedded into her skin.


    Luckily, since it was winter, she had been wearing a jacket. If it were summer, she probably would have had arge chunk offlesh ripped out of her arm.


    She was also trying to be brave. Amber didn¡¯t want to cause any more trouble, so she scavenged some iodine and cotton swabs, intending to privately disinfect her wound.


    But she was quite sensitive to pain. As she poured iodine on to her wound, she immediately felt pain course through it again. It was as if there were thousands of mouths gnawing on her flesh, and she was almost unable to continue.


    ¡°Do you regret it?¡± Ian had finished thinking some time ago, and hade over to watch her treat herself.


    Amber¡¯s forehead was covered in a thin sheen of sweat. She forced herself to raise her head to look at him. ¡°Regret what?¡±


    Ian took a cotton swab and poked at her wound.


    ¡°Ouch!¡± Amber couldn¡¯t handle it anymore, and her head hit the table top out of exhaustion as she powerlessly said, ¡°Don¡¯t make a fuss, Ian.¡±


    When he noticed that she hadn¡¯t called him Mr. Axton, he felt rather happy. He decided to lether off the hook, and even kindly offered, ¡°Let me help.¡±


    And then he took another cotton swab, poured alcohol on it, and helped her clean her wound.


    A rich young master like him had never done such a thing. As the cotton swab prated deep into Amber¡¯s wound, so much pain wracked her body that she started quivering. After stubbornly bearing it for a while, she gave up, and exerted just enough strength to stop the cotton swab in his hand. ¡°Alright, you can stop now.¡±


    ¡®If he were to continue, her arm might really break off!¡¯


    This time, she didn¡¯t even dare let him help wrap her wound. She did it herself casually, rolled her sleeve back down, and then put her jacket on.


    ¡°Just that?¡± He raised his eyebrows questioningly.


    ¡°No. I¡¯ll go get some medicine from the surgery areater, and I might also have to get a shot.¡±N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    Ian looked at her.


    ¡°What is it?¡± she asked as she tidied up the table.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°Why help her like that?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the doctor whose responsible for her.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Ian smiled coolly, but didn¡¯t say anything more.


    His grandfather¡¯s banquet was still going on, and Ian naturally couldn¡¯t stay out for too long. Once they called him and asked about his situation, he left quickly.


    Amber never returned. She didn¡¯t know what Elly would be like when she woke up, and she didn¡¯t feelfortable leaving before finding out.


    But she also was somewhat worried about Ian, and she forcibly found him a substitute driver, even calling Nancy to warn her. ¡°His condition doesn¡¯t seem too stable, as if he was scared by Elly¡¯s incident. Once he returns, please help take care of him, professor.¡±


    Nancy replied, ¡°Okay.¡± Perhaps it was because she could hear the note of remorse in Amber¡¯s voice, but she also reassuringly added on, ¡°It¡¯ll be fine, don¡¯t worry. He¡¯s nota novice, and won¡¯t truly be scared from something like this.¡±


    Amber smiled. ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±


    Not long after Ian left, her colleague came back and said that she couldn¡¯t find Elly¡¯s ¡®aunt,¡¯ who had presumably left during the disturbance. Even the phone number that she had left was fake. When Amber went to go review the security footage, she realized that this socalled aunt looked quite familiar.


    Her memory was quite good, and after thinking for a moment, she quickly realized that this mystery person was actually the restaurant owner¡¯s wife that worked near Elly¡¯s school.


    ¡°Call the police,¡± Amber said.


    ¡°Ah?¡± Her colleague jumped up in fright. ¡°T-there¡¯s no need to, is there?¡±


    Amber didn¡¯t say anything else, and instead immediately sought out the head of the department directly. After hearing about the situation, he stared at her and finally squeezed out some words. ¡°Dr. Camille, do you think that our reputation is too good?¡±


    Amber understood what the head was saying. If word of this incident got out, their hospital would have to take responsibility for negligent personnel. If they really called the police, then it wouldn¡¯t reflect well on them either.


    Amberforted the head by saying, ¡°Self-reflection is also a form of improvement.¡¯

 Chapter 47. CRIME AND EVIL part 2

    ¡°Scram!¡± The head only gave her one word inresponse and Amber did so, heartily.


    Of course, she still ended up calling the police, and the police responded quickly. ¡°That restaurant owner¡¯s wife has a daughter a year older than Elly Brown. After our investigation, we¡¯ve proven that her daughter was the instigator behind the bullying from two years ago, and have currently taken preventative measures against her child. Because we¡¯re still in the process of investigation, we didn¡¯t tell you about this. Presumably, this is why she went to seek out Elly.¡±


    And finally, the police even told her some additional news. ¡°There¡¯s something you should be aware of, Dr. Camille. Regarding Elly, even if we fully investigate the children who bullied her, they won¡¯t receive too severe of a punishment. At the time of the incident, most of them were younger than fourteen years of age.


    Given that it¡¯s already been two years since then, that the Brown have already received financial reparation, that they¡¯ve decided not to pursue the matter further, and that we¡¯ve even received a joint petition from the children¡¯s ssmates and neighbors pleading for leniency and saying that they¡¯re all intelligent, kind children ¡­.¡±


    ¡°So they¡¯re all intelligent and kind, where as Elly is terrifying and evil. Thus, she deserved to be driven mad?¡±


    But no one answered this question of hers. Amber was sitting in her office, and despite the heater running strongly, she felt an unexpected chill.


    ¡°Dr. Camille, a family member for the patient in bed 24 is here.¡±


    Amber broke out of her daze, frowning. ¡°Who is it?¡±


    The nurse didn¡¯t answer, but she didn¡¯t need an answer anymore. Amber could already see the man who hade, Elly¡¯s father.


    He was still dressed very neatly, in a ck down shirt and long ck pants. Perhaps it was his clothes, but he looked even older thanst time; his spine was even starting to look crooked.


    ¡°Is Elly alright?¡±Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    Amber looked at him. The anxiety on his face seemed like he was truly worried about his daughter. ¡°Dr. Camille, the police said that someone intentionally came over here to provoke her. Is ¡­ is she alright?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Amber tried very hard to calm herself down, but couldn¡¯t help herself from shooting out some prickly words. ¡°I thought that you wouldn¡¯t care about her anymore after leaving some money. But it seems like ¡­ you actually still worry about her?¡±


    Elly¡¯s father mumbled, ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°What use is saying sorry to me?¡± She shuther eyes and took a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m not feeling very well. If you¡¯re truly concerned about her illness, then I¡¯ll find a doctor to speak with you.¡±


    Amber stood up and prepared to leave. At this time, she was unable to face this man-in Elly¡¯s miserable life, he too had been an instigator of her suffering.


    ¡°Dr. Camille ¡­.¡±


    Amber did not stop walking.


    Elly¡¯s father pleaded from behind, ¡°I know why she came. She managed to get a petition, a petition to absolve her daughter ofher crimes. She believes that only if Elly truly bes crazy will she be able to offset the grievance that her daughter has faced in the mean time ¡­ Dr. Camille, I hope she can get better, please!¡±


    With a loud ¡®Peng,¡¯ Amber turned around and found that Elly¡¯s father was actually kowtowing on the floor.


    She almost jumped with fright and dodged instinctively. ¡°You don¡¯t have to act like this.¡± She scrunched up her forehead instress. ¡°If you truly feel this way, then you should treat your daughter better. You should know that giving birth to her and not raising her is a sin.¡±


    After saying this, she stopped paying attention to him, not caring whether he left after wards. She went to get some medicine for herself and gave herself a tetanus shot. When she returned, she found out that Elly had woken up.


    She seemed to have reverted to the original condition that she hade in as. She was scared of light and of people, her mouth was constantly mumbling something no one could make out, and she stayed curled up in a corner with her torn up sketchbook. She had scattered the pieces all over her body, almost as if by doing so she could bury herself once more.


    Amber stood by the door, quietly watching her. When night came and Elly started frantically looking for her head, Amber recalled all those people in the little town who had helped the bullies go unpunished and Elly¡¯s father who serepentance hade far toote. This entire situation reminded her of a poem:


    ¡®Demons hide in the masses.


    Hiding from notice,


    They share our beds,


    They share our food.¡¯


    At the same time, anothermon aphorism came to mind: ¡®This is the way that evil follows us through our lives, as non descript as crimes are eye catching.


    ***


    When Amber walked out of the main lobby of the hospital, it was already veryte. She was unbelievably tired, both physically and mentally, and the hand that had been bitten by Elly had been throbbing this whole time. It probably wouldn¡¯t recover anytime soon.


    She clutched her arm, and just as she was about to start squeezing it to try to relieve the pain, a person suddenly appeared in front of her.


    She stopped. ¡°Calvin? You never left?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡±

 Chapter 48. SPREADING POISON

    ¡°Calvin? You never left?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡±


    Amber didn¡¯t know what to say. Perhaps it was because of her grief and indignation, but she hadpletely forgotten about him.


    But Calvin couldn¡¯t help a smile from creeping on to his face. ¡°I¡¯m kidding.¡± His voice was warm, almost tender. ¡°The banquet at the Axton household just ended. I wasa bit worried about you, so I came to see how you were doing.¡±


    Amber paused, a slight desire to cry suddenly welling up in her heart. It was at this moment that she realized that she, too, felt wronged and unwell.


    ¡°Calvin ¡­.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here.¡±


    ¡°I want to drink. Will you apany me?¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    And so, the two went to go drink at an alley near the hospital. There was a famous night market in that area. At this time of the night, the yellow street lights illuminated a simple and quaint street market suffused with a wonderful smell.


    In the cold night, Amber¡¯s white breath smarked the air. As the warmth from her breath dissipated, a slender, long arm reached out towards her.


    In its palm was a few offered sweets, a bunch ofughing squirrels wrapped in colorful wrappers. ¡°For you.¡±


    Amber took one of the squirrels. ¡°This sort of candy is so hard to find now a days. You ¡­.¡±


    Calvin smiled. ¡°As long as you keep an eye out, you¡¯ll always be able to find some.¡±


    Infact, it had really been quite difficult for Calvin to find the candies. After leaving the hospital, he¡¯d driven aimlessly through the streets, trying to satisfy his sudden craving for candy. And perhaps only the cloying sweetness of that childhood candy could make him temporarily forget about the bitterness that had tainted his heart and mouth.


    He spent the whole night searching, but when finally he found them for sale, he suddenly lost the desire to eat them. It was possible that the only reason he couldn¡¯t forget about them was solely because she had always liked them.


    Without her, even the sweetest thing in the world would taste bitter.


    Amber understood the meaning of his words. She looked at him, her expression somewhat conflicted.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°The way you say it makes me feel like I¡¯m misunderstanding something.¡±


    ¡°Misunderstanding what?¡±


    ¡°Misunderstanding that you like me.¡± Sheughed with a rxed tone, but her actions by her palpitating heart.


    She didn¡¯t want to y guessing games with him anymore. Some things were better said early and outright.


    Luckily, Calvin didn¡¯t disappoint her this time. He poured himself a ss of wine and drank it all in one gulp before saying, ¡°Yes, I do like you, and I have for quite a while. Ever since high school, I¡¯ve always thought that it would be wonderful if you were to be my wife.¡±


    He looked at her, his voice calm, his expression tinged with relief.


    Amber gaped.


    Calvin chuckled bitterly at her response.


    ¡°Do you think that I¡¯m over estimating my own capabilities, that I¡¯m a toad trying to get together with a swan? You¡¯re pretty, outstanding, kind, generous, and considerate-everyone likes you, but what about me?¡± Calvin sped his hands together and buried his face in his hands out of grief. ¡°I don¡¯t have a good background or aplete family, and mine even has an odd and reclusive temperament.


    But even despite all this, Amber, I still want to love you. I worked hard and studied even harder, leaving everything to go abroad in order to make myself a better person, a person morepatible with you. But I always seem to bete, always unable to catch up to you.¡±


    Amber grasped his hand lightly. He didn¡¯t continue, and instead raised his head.


    Her expression was serious. ¡°Did you hear what Silvia said at the spa after Trysta¡¯s wedding?¡±


    He suddenly became anxious. ¡°Yes. I know that she was joking.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s not joking.¡± Amberughed as she exined, ¡°You were truly my idol.¡±


    Of course, that was back when she was a young girl. During her adolescence, when she was mncholy and moody, it was particrly easy to be in fatuated with a youth like Calvin, whose pride and a loofness, thoughself-abasing, made him stand out from the crowd.


    ¡°So, please don¡¯t think of yourself like that, okay? You¡¯re wonderful.¡±


    Calvin¡¯s face reddened quickly, and his still gaze quickly turned bright. ¡°Amber,¡± he murmured.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Did you know? I¡¯ve waited for ten years for you to tell me you like me.¡±


    Calvin gazed at her, and after processing her words, his heart swelled up and he grasped her hand out of disbelief. ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s true. Even though it might be useless to say this now, but you really don¡¯t have to disparage yourself. You¡¯ve always been great.¡±


    He looked at her carefully. Whenever she spoke, her face carried a light smile, making him recall the year he¡¯d failed an exam. His teachers were shocked and his mother scolded him, but only Amber smiled and told him, ¡°You look particrly handsome when you pay attention in ss.¡±


    Even after so many years had passed, she hadn¡¯t changed at all, and was still as pretty and kind as ever. As long as he stayed by her side, he would always feel a warmth permeate his body.


    He wanted to hug her tightly in his arms.


    This sort of feeling seemed to grow more intense the closer he got to her. A despicable thought enticed him to snatch her away. He grasped her hand tightly and said, ¡°How could your words mean nothing to me? Won¡¯t you let me love you?¡±


    He looked at her breathlessly, his gaze fiery, his passion almost enough to melt her.


    Amber stalled again for a moment. At this moment, she really wanted to drop everything and say yes, but she couldn¡¯t. At least, not until she had treated Ian.


    She took her hand back. ¡°As you know, I can¡¯t promise this to you right now.¡±


    ¡°Because ¡­ of him?¡±


    Amber nodded.


    ¡°Do you love him?¡±


    Amber couldn¡¯t nod.


    Calvin¡¯s eyes sparkled again. ¡°Then I¡¯ll wait for you.¡± His gaze and tone were resolute.


    Amber couldn¡¯t express the emotion rampaging through her heart at that moment. Perhaps happiness was the closest, but a bit of iprehensible anxiety was also mixed into it.N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    ¡°Don¡¯t feel pressured. Liking you is my own matter. Even if you nevere back to me, I won¡¯t me you.¡±


    His tone was already rxed again. Amber knew that some of her emotions had to have leaked out for him to behave like this, and she couldn¡¯t help but sigh. ¡°I don¡¯t want to string you along. It¡¯s just ¡­.¡±


    ¡°I know, you want me to be happy.¡± He smiled andfortingly said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll certainly get better. Actually, even before I came back, I thought that you might have already fallen in love with someone else, be married, of even have had children. The current situation now couldn¡¯t be better, so I don¡¯t care what the matter is between you and him. As long as you haven¡¯t fallen in love with him, and as long as you¡¯re willing to give me a chance, then I¡¯ll keep waiting for you.¡±


    Amber stared at him. He smiled, poured both of them a new ss of wine, and changed the topic. ¡°Is your hand alright? You¡¯re injured, so you should stop drinking after this ss. If you still want to drink more, then I¡¯ll drink it all for you.¡±


    Amber didn¡¯t actually want to drink anymore. She couldn¡¯t tolerate alcohol well; one or two cans of beer was alright, but anymore and she was afraid that she would get drunk.


    Given what had happenedst time when she got drunk with Ian, she had since be very sensitive about drinking too much.


    She raised her ss. ¡°This ss is to wee you back, as well as to thank you.¡±


    ¡°Thank me for what?¡±


    ¡°For drinking with me.¡±


    Actually, it was also to thank him for his sudden confession, and it served to give her a sense of closure as well.


    Calvin clinked sses with her. ¡°No need to thank me. Whenever you need me, I¡¯ll be there for you.¡±


    Amber finished her ss in a single gulp. Drinking cold beer next to a warm stove in the brisk chill of the night gave her an ineffable pleasure. As the cold liquid slipped down her throat, her whole body felt alive.


    She stopped drinking, and he didn¡¯t coax her to continue to do so. The two sat amiably, and as they chatted about their youth, their hearts became bright and spacious once more.


    ***


    Perhaps it was because of her drinking, but that night, Amber slept warmly and had sweet dreams even without the heater.


    In the morning, she woke up to the sound of her phone ringing. She was still muddle headed, and it took her quite a while before she became clear-headed to pick it up.


    Shezily answered her phone. On the other end, a foreign, severe voice asked, ¡°Are you Dr. Amber Camille from Presbiterian Hospital?¡±


    ¡°I am.¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you. I¡¯m a police officer from XX Town, Officer Zhang. Last night, we had anasty poisoning incident. The suspect has since been resuscitated and woken up, but here quested to see you before he would cooperate. Are you free?¡±


    XX Town was where Elly¡¯s house was.


    Amber asked doubtfully, ¡°Who¡¯s the suspect?¡±


    ¡°Mark Brown. He said that you were the doctor responsible for his daughter, Elly Brown.¡±

 Chapter 49. REMORSE part 1

    When Amber arrived at Elly¡¯s hometown, it was almost noon. The town¡¯s scenery remained the same, only the number of travellers on the road had increased.


    When she arrived at the hospital, she saw a few familiar faces. There was the auntie who had led her through the town, the restaurant owner¡¯s wife, and some of the town citizens who she had met and asked for directions from.


    Without any exception, their eyes were all red, anger spilling into their faces. Luckily, the police were at the hospital to maintain order, along with some strangers who were simply taking pictures and videos without stopping.


    Once Amber arrived, a number of supercilious looks were immediately aimed at her. The auntie who had led her through the town even spat a glob of saliva at her from a far as she angrily scolded, ¡°An entire cabal of viins! Only helping each other spread evil, what a waste of your beauty!¡±


    Amber shifted her gaze, expressionless. The police officer who had called her ignored the heckling words and quietly exined the situation to Amber.


    ¡°¡­ He prepared some blowfish meat, said that he was treating the other parents to a meal as an apology, bowed down to everyone to invite them over, and in the end, all of them ended up being poisoned. Some of the older folks weren¡¯t able to handle it and passed awayst night, and there are still a few people in the intensive care unit.¡±


    Amber was shocked after hearing that piece of news, and only after recovering a whileter did she ask, ¡°Brown ¡­ How¡¯s Mark Brown?¡±


    ¡°He was also poisoned, though he recovered right before dawn today. The first thing he wanted to do when he woke up was see you.¡±


    ¡°You said earlier that the poisoning incident was deliberate?¡±


    ¡°Yes. ording to our preliminary investigation, this was a premeditated poisoning. In his backyard, we dug out arge number of dried blowfish organs. Chemical tests revealed that the blowfish meat that they consumedst night had a high degree of toxins within it, much more than would ordinarily be present. But the suspect refuses to confess to his crime or answer any of our questions, and says that he¡¯ll only reveal the truth after seeing you.¡±


    Amber didn¡¯t know what to say. She didn¡¯t expect that Elly¡¯s father would want to see her, and definitely didn¡¯t expect him to use it as a bargaining chip.


    The police brought her to the door of Elly¡¯s father ward. When Amber pushed the door open and entered, she saw Mark Brown alone in the two patient room. At present, he was half sitting up on the bed, his face was deathly pale, and his right hand was clutching at the side of the bed. On his wrist was a bright handcuff.


    When he saw Amber enter, he turned his head to her and smiled.


    Amber felt very ufortable as she walked to the side of his bed. ¡°The police said that you wanted to see me. Is that right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Despite having just been at death¡¯s door, the man in front of her seemed the same as before, save his wan and sallow expression. As always, he was dressed very neatly with his hairbed and tidily swept behind his head. He looked at her with a very sincere expression. ¡°I know that you¡¯re a good doctor. I¡¯m very happy that you care this much for Elly, and that she was able to meet you even after suffering through so much sadness and tragedy in her life.¡±


    Amber looked at him quietly, not saying anything.


    Elly¡¯s father didn¡¯t want her to say anything either. He turned around again to gaze outside the window, slowly reminiscing about the past as a calm expression surfacedon his face. ¡°I let her down by ignoring her all these years. But she¡¯s very determined, even getting the top score of the town up on graduating from elementary school.


    At that time, I thought, ¡®I can¡¯t keep living life like this.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t for myself, but for her, for my mother. I knew that I should also settle down, so I started fishing in the open ocean with somepanions. But life just seemed to bear a grudge against me. As soon as I finished my preparations, that happened to Elly.¡±


    ¡°Elly was originally introverted but obedient, never bringing either of us any trouble. Even if there was trouble, all she would do was hide at home, not saying anything, unwilling to go to school or even to leave the house. If I hadn¡¯t seen that video, even I wouldn¡¯t have known what had happened. Does that make me a failure of a father in your eyes?¡±


    He paused for a moment to murmur, ¡°To give birth to a child without raising her is not kindness but sin ¡­ I¡¯ve let her down miserably. Even after this happened to her, I couldn¡¯t reim justice for her. And I even listened to the others, and thought that it would be better for her to quash everything down. To that end, I even forced her to go to school by beating her. If those people were the culprits, then I, I¡¯m the executioner who drove her crazy.¡±


    Amber didn¡¯t want to hear these remorseful words which hade far toote. If he hadn¡¯t taken the opportunity to help her when it was there, then any feeling of remorse on his part was by definition in sincere-the most important condition to repentance was how one recovered and made a mends for the mistakes theymitted. ¡°She¡¯s only fourteen. If you truly want to save her, there¡¯s still time.¡±


    Mark shook his head. ¡°There¡¯s no time left.¡± Heughed bitterly as hemented, ¡°I don¡¯t know how to face her. Maybe, in this life time, I won¡¯t ever know how to face her.¡±


    He turned back around to face Amber. ¡°Elly ¡­ will she be able to recover?¡±N?velDrama.Org is the owner.

 Chapter 50. REMORSE part 2

    ¡°Elly ¡­ will she be able to recover?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Amber¡¯s tone was unusually calm. ¡°Originally, this sort of condition is best treated by thepany and love of her family members. But after she identally hurt her own grandmother, and especially since you¡¯ve given up on her now, I don¡¯t know if she can still recover, or if she even wants to recover anymore.¡±


    Actually, she felt that Elly understood everything in the inner depths of her heart. However, what she had experienced far exceeded what she could bear, so she could only bury that clear headed version of her deep within herself and close her eyes, plug her ears, and pretend that she didn¡¯t know anything, just like a corpse.


    Her illness was her subconscious response to her trauma. If she didn¡¯t want to get better, then no one would ever be able to wake her up.


    Upon hearing this, Mark shut his eyes and remained silent for a long, long time. After wards, he took out a piece of paper from his pocket. ¡°This is Elly¡¯s mother¡¯ phone number. I might not be able to get out of here. Dr. Camille, please help me find her and tell her what happened to Elly.¡±


    ¡°The day that you handed over that much money, did you already have this in mind?¡±


    Mark didn¡¯t answer, only pushing the slip of paper toward her.


    After thinking it over for a moment, Amber took it. The slip of paper wasn¡¯trge. The only writing on it was a series of numbers.


    She held that piece of paper tightly. Mark¡¯s silence spoke volumes. ¡°When you did those things, did you ever consider what would happen if her mother turns out to be unwilling to take responsibility? A hundred thousand dor doesn¡¯tst that long. If she runs out of money, then your daughter will be kicked out of the hospital because she can¡¯t afford the bills.


    Given the state that she¡¯s in, if she doesn¡¯t receive treatment, then even the government won¡¯t be able to ce her anywhere. Without any family, she could very well end up roaming the streets homeless. She can¡¯t register cold or heat, hunger or fullness. She might after just a few days.


    If you¡¯re truly remorseful, if you think that you¡¯ve let her down, then have you never considered these things?¡±


    Elly¡¯s father clutched his face out of anguish, unable to say a single word in response.


    Their time was up, and Amber was sent outside by the police. After she came out, she found out that another victim had died, and the victims in intensive care weren¡¯t doing too well either.


    The family members of the poisoned towns folk were agitatedly shouting outside the ward, ¡°He did it intentionally! Give him the death penalty! Kill him!¡±


    Because Amber had introduced herself as Elly¡¯swyer back then, she was also attacked by the people who recognized her. Those people pointed at her nose and scolded, ¡°Don¡¯t they say thatwyers have a duty to upholdw and order? Don¡¯t they say thatwyers have to help speak out for victims? On the other hand, you¡¯re helping defend a murderer. What kind ofwyer are you?¡±


    The police officers who had escorted Amber out looked at her skeptically upon hearing these usations. Amber¡¯s face fell, and she declined to provide any further exnation.


    She was only able to escape the crowd after being escorted out with the police on all sides. After they finally got through the crowd, the police said, ¡°In order to avoid any conflicts, you should leave right away, Dr. Camille.¡±


    And so Dr. Camille got on a car and rode back to the city, leaving as quickly as she could. That was the worst situation that Amber could ever remember encountering, she felt like she was just running away out of fear.


    ***


    Not long after Amber left, Mark confessed, he did n it. Ever since Elly started showing signs of mental instability, he would bring some blowfish organs home every time he went out to sea.


    Originally, he hadn¡¯t nned on doing anything with the organs, but then Elly identally killed her grandmother and was sent to a mental ward.


    After Elly¡¯s grandmother funeral, he had gone out to sea again, catching and buying blowfish in bulk. Despite being poisonous, blowfish flesh was fresh and tasty, and cooking a good meal out of it wasn¡¯t hard. He had then invited a chef that he knew well, used the pretense of apologizing for the mess he had caused to gather the family members of the kids who had bullied Elly all together, and then fed them all poisoned blowfish.


    Twelve people were poisoned, of whom three had died.


    ***Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    When Amber saw the news on her phone, she sighed deeply.


    That news article described Mark Brown as a suspect in poisoning his neighbors. The article wasn¡¯t long, it coldly introduced his motives, actions, and then concluded the story.


    Because Elly¡¯s case was still under investigation, the article had only mentioned that Mark Brown¡¯s possible motivation for killing was due to an old feud, and that those neighbors had fallen for his trap because of their unsuspecting natures and the temptation of delicious blowfish.


    And three lives were lost, just like that.

 Chapter 51. ADMITTING ONE’S MISTAKE

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± A colleague by her side hade to get a ss of water, but asked Amber this question upon seeing her face.


    Amber forced herself tough in response. ¡°Nothing. I might not have slept wellst night, so I¡¯m not feeling too well.¡±


    ¡°Oh, were you keeping guard over the patient in bed 24 the whole night again?¡± Although Presbiterian Hospital¡¯s psychiatry department was quite famous for its novel treatment methods, her colleague rarely saw people like Amber, who would tire them selves half to death trying out a new treatment n.


    ¡°Are you sure that you can keep going like this?¡± Her colleague was skeptical, trying to convince her to take it slower. ¡°Her illness was already rare to begin with, and even then, people with simr symptoms can be suffering from entirely different illnesses. You¡¯ve been pushing for your so called humane treatment methods, but they don¡¯t seem to be particrly effective on her.


    I¡¯m telling you sometimes, patients suffering from mental illnesses are just like badly behaved children. Trying to persuade them gently won¡¯t always be effective, but a simple, crude strategy might work wonders. Do you want to try that?¡±


    Amberughed upon hearing her colleague¡¯s vivid analogy. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll consider it.¡±


    After chatting with her colleagues a little more, Amber got up to patrol the wards again. When she got to Elly¡¯s ward, she stopped at the door for quite a while, eventually deciding to not enter.


    After the incident with the restaurant owner¡¯s wife, Elly seemed to have reverted to her old ways. Although she wouldn¡¯t make a big fuss, she hadpletely given up on drawing and refused to listen to anyone. The door in Elly¡¯s heart that seemed to have been half opened to Amber had beenpletely shut now.


    ***


    Amber had sses in the afternoon. Because she wasn¡¯t in her best condition, she made a few mistakes in a row. And after being corrected again, she couldn¡¯t help but caress her forehead out of exasperation.


    The students attending the lecture were allughing, and a male student by the front row even jokingly asked, ¡°Dr. Camille, you aren¡¯t this distracted because you just broke up with someone, right?¡± And then he even consoled her. ¡°Even if you really just broke up with someone, then it¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t want to teach. Just sit down and watch us self study.¡±


    When Amber was feeling well, she wouldugh along with them. But today, she really wasn¡¯t feeling up to it, so she really did just pull a stool over and sat there until the end of ss.


    Her students were all rtively obedient: no one came up to tease her, instead, everyone sat patiently at their desks and studied for the remaining half of the session.


    Even after ss, they each sincerely said goodbye to her, and some even secretly handed her notes. Amber looked at them, and everyone of them had something along the following lines.


    ¡°Keep it up, Dr. Camille!¡±


    ¡°Dr. Camille, there are so many men in the world, why waste your time pining over one?¡±


    or ¡°Dr. Camille, turn around, turn around and look. I, your student, will always be here for you.¡±


    Amber could onlyugh at their innocent humor, but her heart warmed at the messages. Despite how much these kids teased her, she could feel how much they cared for her.


    That male student who was always sleeping in her ss was once again thest one out. Surprisingly, he hadn¡¯t slept today. Somewhat embarrassed, he walked up to her and stood there for quite a while before extending his hand toward her.


    In his palm were two in but elegantly wrapped sweets.


    ¡°Are these for me?¡±


    The boy nodded.


    Amber took one piece of candy from his hand and said, ¡°Let¡¯s eat them together.¡± She unwrapped the candy and stuffed it into her mouth. It was chocte vored, not as sweet as the version with the little squirrels, and even had a hint of bitterness that contrasted well with its refreshing after taste-an unusualbination.


    The boy smiled quite happily as he saw her eat the sweet. His ears blushed red and he ran out of the ssroom, still holding the other sweet in his hand.


    Amber thought him too introverted to be a university student, but given that he was only auditing the ss, she didn¡¯t bother putting too much thought into it. She smiled at his back, picked up her things, and went to Nancy¡¯s office.


    ***


    Nancy was somewhat surprised to see Ambering over, but her sharp eyes saw through her emotions in one nce. She pushed everyone else out of the office, leaving the two of them alone, and then asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You don¡¯t look well today.¡±


    Rather than merely unwell, Amber actually looked like she was about to burst out into tears at any moment now.


    In fact, she actually did, right after Nancy asked that question, tears started streaming down her face.N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    Nancy wasn¡¯t too shocked. After all, psychiatrists were people them selves, with feelings that were difficult for them to process. Instead of anxiously asking her questions, she motioned for her to sit down by her side, to cry in asfortable a position as possible.


    After Amber finished, Nancy gave her a ss of water. ¡°Are you thirsty?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± She nodded, blew her nose, took the cup of water, and downed it in one go.


    Her unusually childish actions made Nancy smile as she looked at her. ¡°Alright, what¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Amber was still a bit upset, and she yed with her ss of water for quite a while before exining. ¡°That patient I took on with Cotard¡¯s syndrome rpsed because she was provoked by external stimuli. After that, her father gathered all the kids and family members who bullied her in the past together, and treated them to poisoned blowfish meat, killing three of them. I asked awyer what would happen to him; given the situation, even if he were spared the death penalty, it would at most be a deferred death sentence.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know when he started nning that event in his mind, but I¡¯m very upset by it. I must have pushed him to it. I knew that helping reopen Elly¡¯s case would be difficult, but I still forced him to do it ¡­.¡±


    Nancy looked at her. ¡°So you think that you¡¯re in the wrong?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Amber covered her face, and with great effort, answered her question. ¡°I was wrong. I shouldn¡¯t have ignored your advice, and I forgot about my own duties and tried to act as a messenger of justice.¡±

 Chapter 52. GIVE VENT TO EMOTIONS

    Amber had only wanted to get justice for Elly, to right the wrong that had been done to her by making those who had bullied her suffer the punishment that they ought to suffer. However, she never sought to have Mark do so in such a terrible manner.


    And now, she only felt a terrible guilt eat at her, the guilt that she had single handedly orchestrated the poisoning incident between Mark and the bullies¡¯ parents and family members.


    Nancy simply sat by her side and listened. Amber was the most gifted and empathetic of all the students that she had ever advised, and thattter point was both her greatest strength and weakness.


    For psychiatrists, being empathetic was a particrpliment, because it meant that they wouldn¡¯t blindly follow the rules and would instead genuinely try their best to help their patients through more humane means.


    But such actions had to be taken in moderation. Nancy believed that what had transpired this time would help Amber realize this, and this failure would help her be an even better doctor than the one she was today.


    All good doctors needed to grow, so Nancy didn¡¯t do anything to hinder that growth, only saying, ¡°Don¡¯t think of yourself as the most important actor in this y. Perhaps the role you had in this wasn¡¯t so important after all.¡±


    Nancy¡¯s words were simple, but they immediately woke Amber up. In truth, after she had cried and revealed all her worries to Nancy, her reasoning had finally returned to her.


    She knew that she was shouldering far more responsibility than she should. Mark had been nning this for quite a while, after his initial return, he had only visited Elly once, dealt with his mother¡¯s funeral, and then immediately went back out to sea to purchase fresh blowfish. From his actions, Amber could see that he had already been nning this for a long time.


    Perhaps he had wanted to get justice for Elly a long time ago, but just in his own way.


    And perhaps some of his motives were selfish: some of the people that he had invited that day were not the parents of those that had bullied Elly


    Even so, Amber still felt that she had made a mistake. She had gone too deep, to the point that even she had lost her bnce. She was this way with Elly¡¯s illness, as well as with Mark.


    When Nancy saw Amber realize the truth, she finally let out the breath she had been holding. ¡°Alright. Now that you¡¯ve thought everything over, why don¡¯t you treat me to a meal as the fee for seeing you.¡±


    Amber knew that Nancy didn¡¯t want her to keep thinking about these matters so she responded, ¡°Then I¡¯ll have to make it a big affair, your fees aren¡¯t cheap, Professor.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good that you know that.¡± Nancy stared at her seriously. ¡°Don¡¯t juste crying to me aimlessly next time.¡±


    Amber was very embarrassed, but did sincerely treat Nancy to a meal in the end. Of course, she invited not only her but also her assistant, the other seniors and juniors in Nancy¡¯s office, and everyone else she saw in theb.


    Since they knew that Amber was paying, they all smiled and responded, ¡°We¡¯ll treat it as a free get together, then.¡±


    ***


    The whole crowd split up into several different cars, all driving to the restaurant excitedly. The ce that they¡¯d decided on was close to the foot of the river, very famous for its fish head dishes. Even better, it was just the right kind of weather to get together for a spicy fish head hotpot.


    Amber wasn¡¯t particrly hungry, but since everyone else was eating, she¡¯d naturally do her best to keep up with the crowd.


    But the meal didn¡¯t end up costing Amber anything after all as they coincidentally encountered Calvin  there having dinner with a few friends of his. The two were each with their own separate parties, and so could only greet each other briefly.


    The two tables were even next to each other, and from that distance, Calvin had probably overheard that Amber was paying for her party¡¯s meal. Thus, when she gged a waiter over to pay the bill, she was told that it had already been paid.


    Amber didn¡¯t understand what had happened at that point, so she could only smile and ask around sheepishly. ¡°Alright, which of you guys were so noble as to save me some money? I¡¯m so embarrassed.¡±


    No one imed the honor, and it was finally the waiter who said, ¡°It was Mr. Kenric from table 9. He said that he¡¯d treat everyone to this meal for you.¡±


    Amber had no response to the waiter¡¯s words.From N?velDrama.Org.


    The people beside her all went crazy, excitedly yelling out a long ¡®Ooooo¡¯ from their mouths in unison. ¡°Is that rich boyfriend of yours finally showing up?¡±


    They all knew that Amber had had all of her appointment slots booked by a rich man, but they didn¡¯t know who he was. But now, when they saw that someone had paid the bill for her of his own ord, they remembered this incident again, and quickly stuck their heads out to try and catch a glimpse of that mysterious ¡®Mr. Kenric.¡¯


    Luckily for Calvin and his friends, they had finished their meal first, and he had sent his friends out right after paying to save Amber from her party¡¯s interrogation.


    Amber covertly wiped the sweat from her forehead. But when she raised her head, she saw Nancy smiling at her, a mote of caution in her gaze.


    Amber sighed.


    Actually, even without Nancy saying so, she already knew that her actions with Ian were very ill advised. Elly¡¯s matters had also shown her that she couldn¡¯t interfere with patients too much, even if she had good intentions.


    This was especially true given that she now had a ¡®Mr. Kenric¡¯ by her side.

 Chapter 53. AN UNEXPECTED MEETING

    Amber and Nancy left in different directions after dinner, and because everyone else also had to work tomorrow, they all left on their own as well.


    Once everyone had left, Amber waited by the roadside for a taxi. But before long, someone tapped her right shoulder, causing Amber to look towards her left.


    As expected, Calvin was standing slightly behind and to the left of her. When he saw Amber turn around, his face lit up into as light smile. ¡°Ah, I couldn¡¯t fool you afterall.¡±


    This was a little game that the two of them had yed when they were small. For a decent period of time, Calvin had sat behind Amber in ss. Because they were seated next to a window, Amber would always gaze into the distance to rx after ss. Whenever he saw her like this, Calvin would tap her on her left shoulder but lean to her right, or tap her right shoulder and lean to her left.


    But Amber never fell for his track, not even once; she was always able to turn around and spot him every single time.


    Amberughed at his antics. ¡°Do you want to try again?¡±


    And so Calvin went back into his original position and tapped her shoulder again. Amber turned around, saw no one, and then turned to the other side as she amazedly said, ¡°Ah, it¡¯s you!¡±


    Her acting skills were so exaggerated that Calvin couldn¡¯t help butugh, as did Amber.


    It was a very boring game, but it was one that let the two of themugh at each other for quite a while. After they finally calmed down, Amber said, ¡°Thank you. I won¡¯t try to return the money.¡±


    He looked at her, half smiling. ¡°You can try to bring it up. But every time you do so, I¡¯ll kiss you once, alright?¡±


    Upon hearing this, Amber looked at him with an expression like she was looking at a stranger.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°I just discovered that you can also pick up girls now.¡±


    Calvin lowered his head and looked at her from under neath his bangs, his gazes moldering. ¡°If I couldn¡¯t, then I¡¯m afraid that I won¡¯t ever find a wife in this life.¡±N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    When Amber heard him say the word ¡®wife¡¯ so warmly and bluntly, her smile actually deted slightly. She looked at him with a strained expression. ¡°Calvin ¡­.¡±


    ¡°I know, you can¡¯t reciprocate my feelings right now. Sorry, I only wanted to make you happy. However, you don¡¯t look too well right now.¡±


    Amber was very shocked. ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡®Had she really exposed herself to such a degree that anyone could read her emotions?¡¯


    Calvin nodded as he gently caressed the corner of her lips with a finger. ¡°Perhaps you never even noticed it yourself, but when you¡¯re truly happy, you don¡¯t smile like that.¡±


    Amber couldn¡¯t help but be dejected. She had thought that she was hiding her emotions very well.


    Calvin looked at her gently. ¡°Do you want to tell me about it?¡±


    Amber sighed. ¡°Actually, it isn¡¯t much. Something just happened with a patient of mine.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± A wisp of disappointment leaked into Calvin¡¯s expression, but he didn¡¯t continue pressing Amber about it. ¡°Then I won¡¯t ask. But if you ever need my help, just let me know.¡±


    Amber was about to nod when a shy race car drove by them. Not long after, that car reversed directions until it was in front of them.


    The window rolled down, revealing Billy¡¯s arrogant face. ¡°Hi, doctor. Is that really you?¡± Then he turned to the passenger side, smiled, and said, ¡°Look, I told you I was right, it¡¯s really your partner.¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    Race cars were usually a bit shorter than other cars, and since this section of road wasn¡¯t particrly well-lit, only now did she realize that Ian was actually sitting next to Billy.


    She couldn¡¯t see his full face as the car door obscured most of it. The only thing that was revealed was a chiseled, cold, and hard jaw. This was the first time meeting after Ian¡¯s grandfather birthday. After Mark¡¯s incident, she hadn¡¯t had time to look for him, and he hadn¡¯t gone searching for her either.


    ¡®I wonder if the events of that day left a shadow in his mind?¡¯


    After mulling the situation over for a moment, Amber bent her head, and then greeted him. ¡°Mr. Axton.¡±


    Billy sneered. ¡°Heh, this polite? You might as well remove the ¡®Axton¡¯ too and just call him mister.¡±


    No one paid any attention to him, and Ian coolly asked in response, ¡°Do you need a ride?¡±


    Amber looked at Calvin; he was standing there silently with half lidded eyes and an unclear expression. She shook her head. ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. I can get back on my own.¡±


    Ian then turned his head slightly. ¡°Get her in the car.¡±


    The back door of the car opened, and a youngman all dressed in ck walked out. He bowed courteously towards Amber before gesturing toward the car. ¡°Dr. Camille, please.¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    Once again, she had forgotten about Ian¡¯s personality. When he asked you a question, it was never an actual question. Rather, it was just a veil of politeness that was better treated as non existent.


    If it had been the past her, then she would have epted his intentions ndly. However, today, she resolved herself to draw a line between them. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m still busy and don¡¯t need a ride from you.¡±


    After speaking, she immediately pulled Calvin away and prepared to leave. But just when she had taken a few steps, the man d in ck stretched out his hand to stop her.


    Amber frowned. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Director Axton is cordially inviting you into the car.¡±


    Amber usually had a pretty good temper, but she couldn¡¯t help but grow angry now. ¡°And if I don¡¯t?¡±


    That man smiled lightly, unyieldingly polite. Amber¡¯s frown grew tighter, and even Calvin couldn¡¯t help but move in front of her.


    ¡°Hey, doctor,¡± Billy sniggered from his corner. ¡°Boss Ian asked if he needs to carry you into the car?¡±


    Amber¡¯s heart dropped. Given Ian¡¯s personality, he really might do something like that.


    Calvin could also see that Amber probably wouldn¡¯t be able to leave with him tonight without considerable friction. He didn¡¯t want to distress her, so he unwillingly forced himself to say, ¡°Why don¡¯t you let him send you back? Something also came up for me, so I won¡¯t be able to do so. I¡¯d be worried if you went home alone thiste.¡±


    Saying this was a huge insult towards himself, but he had understood very early on in his life the importance of being flexible.


    Sometimes, being soft and taking a step back was not due to cowardice, but rather a move made after weighing the benefits and losses.


    He actually wanted to reach out and irresistibly caress Amber¡¯s hair, but in the end, all he did was clench his fist behind him tightly and push her away.

 Chapter 54. SETTLEMENT FEE

    Billy leaned against the car window as he looked at themzily, his expression seemingly both a smile and not one at all.Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    Amber and Calvin were both smart people, so they were well aware that Billy and Ian didn¡¯t like Calvin and had no intention of talking to him at all. She walked over as Calvin waved before turning and leaving.


    He left very quickly, not turning back. Upon seeing this, Billy deliberately asked Amber, ¡°Who¡¯s that fellow? Why didn¡¯t you introduce us to him? He looks somewhat handsome. My, you¡¯re not trying to make our Ian a cuckold, are you?¡±


    After spouting these inmmatory words, he nced at Ian, but thetter didn¡¯t even bother looking at him.


    Amber ignored him as well, climbing into the car expressionlessly. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to leave? This is a restricted parking zone.¡¯


    ¡°At worst, I¡¯ll get fined,¡± Billy responded blithely.


    Amber was caught speechless by his response. Billy did drive off after saying that, but he didn¡¯t stop yammering, and even brought up the appointment booking incident again. ¡°That incident really ended up hurting a lot of rich folks, and even my mom started asking my dad if he was raising a vixen. Haha, they¡¯re fighting at home everyday now. How funny.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Is it really alright for you to talk about your parents like this?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with it?¡± Billy stared at her superciliously, as if she were a novice to the ways of the world. He drove slowly and started gossiping about his father¡¯s Casanova, like escapades. As Amber listened, ck lines began streaking over her face, but he only seemed to get more and more invested as he spoke.


    When she took another look at Ian, he had evidently heard enough, as he was not responding to Billy at all. Since he was looking out the window, she could only see the back of his head from her angle.


    Somehow, along the way, Billy had shifted topics from his father¡¯s romantic dealings tocthat day they had spent gambling. ¡°¡­ We¡¯ve never lost that badly before, Dr. Camille. So you want to y another round? If you¡¯re that lucky again, then I¡¯ll give you a chance and let our Ian be your escort again.¡±


    When Billy mentioned the word escort, he even pped his thighs and started cackling maniacally, as tears ofughter leaked out. Honestly, making the situation that awkward was a talent at that point.


    Amber really couldn¡¯t stand it anymore, so she sat up and poked Ian¡¯s shoulder.


    He responded surprisingly quickly, catching her offending finger at once.


    Amber wanted to pull it out of his grasp but wasn¡¯t able to; thus, she could only pretend that she didn¡¯t mind it much. ¡°I want to discuss something with you. Can we talk in private?¡±


    Since they¡¯d met by coincidence, she might as well have a conversation with him.


    As usual, Ian didn¡¯t reject her request. He let go of her, and, ignoring Billy¡¯s protests, apathetically said, ¡°Go to Axton Hotel.¡±


    The emotions vanished from Billy¡¯s face. It was fine if the two of them ignored him, but he was very displeased that they were even going to ditch him and go off gallivanting somewhere else. ¡°You helped me deal with that old man, but what happened to giving me a chance to thank you? Ansell and the rest are already waiting there.¡±


    Ian chuckled as he dryly said, ¡°Do you all want to be third wheels?¡±


    These words were really too provoking, so much so that even Amber couldn¡¯t help but cough out of shock. Billy, on the other hand, silently spat out a mouthful of blood, parked the car by the roadside, and started pounding on the steering wheel, making the car horn re so loudly that even the cars driving by started to protest before finally yelling, ¡°Scram! You talk as if no one else has everhad a romantic encounter before. Just watch me bring seventeen girlfriends over tomorrow and make you drown in jealousy!¡±


    Ian wasn¡¯t fazed at all, and calmly stepped out of the car.


    As soon as the two of them were out, Billy immediately drove off loudly. Despite Amber quickly following behind Ian, she was still just slightly too slow and was inundated with the car¡¯s exhaust fumes.


    Ian saw her lean back and choke a little, and was unable to stop himself from smiling at the sight.


    It was a pity that Amber had been covering her face just then and hadn¡¯t seen it.


    Billy¡¯s parking skills were surprisingly skillful, as he had stopped right across the front door of Axton Hotel, just past the street.


    ***


    Ian brought Amber into the building. She originally thought that he would lead her towards the cafe, or even tohis office. But instead, they ended up going directly into a suite.


    From the decoration, it looked exactly like the suite they had ended up in after she had gotten drunk that one night. In fact, given Ian¡¯s fervent desire for cleanliness, it was probably the exact same room.


    At the very least, Amber hadn¡¯t been traumatized from that event, and he didn¡¯t have anything that would cause her to bed efensive, so she walked in briskly and confidently.


    The room was surprisingly cozy, as the normal sense of pervasive stuffiness endemic to a regr hotel room was absent here. The first thing Ian did when he entered was take off his jacket and wash his hands and face. Amber, on the other hand, did nothing. She merely picked up a chair, sat down to the side, and as she waited for Ian to finish up, thought about what the best way to exin her thoughts regarding that contract was.


    In the beginning, she hadn¡¯t treated that contract too seriously because she had thought that, after he recovered slightly, he would automatically void the contract of his own ord.


    However, Mark¡¯s incident had made her suddenly realize that she wouldn¡¯t ever be able to deal with everything on her own. Her unintentional gestures couldvery well end up hurting others.


    As she sat there, she thought about many things: how to begin, how to end, how tofort him. But all these thoughts were thrown into disarray after just one sentence from him.


    After Ian finished washing up, he sat down on the sofa opposite her, folded up his sleeves, and watched her carefully. After he finished observing her, he opened his mouth and coolly said, ¡°How does it feel to like someone enough to make you not care about the settlement fee?¡± And then he took out his phone and messed around with it for a while. Not long after, Amber¡¯s phone rang.


    Ian raised his chin to face her. ¡°This is the settlement fee that you have to pay. ording to Nancy¡¯s request, I¡¯ve already given you a twenty percent discount.¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±

 Chapter 55. DO YOU WANT TO MAKE A BET?

    From Ian¡¯s behavior, it didn¡¯t seem like Elly¡¯s rpse that day had affected him at all.


    And could his observation skills be any stronger? Clearly, she hadn¡¯t been doing anything with Calvin, and even tonight, they had only been standing there chatting ordinarily at least in the eyes of any normal passersby, they had been very normal. Had he not noticed that even Billy had only teased them for a sentence or two before dropping it?


    Amber wasn¡¯t in any rush to look at her phone. ¡°Why do you think that this is what I came here to speak with you about?¡±


    ¡°What else could there be? Would you be speaking to me about anything else?¡±


    Amber was speechless, because this really was what she wanted to talk with him about.


    But she first had to exin why she wanted to talk about it. ¡°I did want to talk with you about this, but not because I¡¯ve started liking someone. Rather, it¡¯s because I feel like I need to rify in detail that I promised to be your girlfriend not because I love you, but because I wanted to have you trust me in away that is more eptable to you.¡±


    ¡°Trust.¡± He smiled coolly as he raised his head to look at her. ¡°Are the rest of the doctors like you? Able to give up anything to gain their patients¡¯ trust.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Ian was too intelligent and logical, so Amber didn¡¯t n on hiding anything from him. ¡°From a psychiatrist¡¯s view point, being empathetic towards your patients is a necessary part of treatment. So, sometimes, in order to help our patients, we doctors will even temporarily abandon our view points, ethics, and justice, all so that our patients can trust us.¡±


    ¡°Then why are you telling me all this now?¡±


    His question was framed from the perspective of a patient, indirectly signaling that Ian was very aware of his own situation.


    And it also meant that he was starting to trust her a little.


    Amber didn¡¯t want to destroy this rare connection that she had established throught his conversation, and so she chose her next words slowly, trying her best to be as warm and truthful as she could. ¡°I¡¯m doing so because Elly¡¯s father incident made me realize that, sometimes, even despite my best intentions, I might end up significantly harming others. I don¡¯t want to be an instrument that hurts others.¡±


    Ian actually knew what had happened. But he didn¡¯t even frown after hearing Amber mentioning it, only continuing to coolly question her. ¡°What do you have to do with all that? Don¡¯t tell me that you think his actions were your fault.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly right. I do think that it¡¯s my fault. If I hadn¡¯t forced him to get justice for Elly then he wouldn-¡±


    But before she could finish speaking, Ian interrupted her as he looked her up and down. ¡°You are so stupid that I don¡¯t even want to look at you directly anymore.¡±


    This man really did have a vicious mouth, but Amber was actually not at all deterred by his words. ¡°Why do you say that?¡±


    ¡°Because you¡¯re dumb,¡± he replied without hesitation.


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    She looked at him, speechless.


    At that point, Ian startedughing in a particrly vile fashion. ¡°Do you think that he poisoned all those people in order to get revenge for his daughter? Haha, stop joking.


    The truth is that when he went out fishing in the ocean, he gambled with the other fishermen and lost a significant amount of money. Originally, he could have used Elly¡¯s bullying incident to extort reparation fees from those families.


    However, after his mother died and his daughter went crazy, and especially after you exposed the whole incident, he certainly wouldn¡¯t have been able to get any money back. Thus, saddled with debt, he was forced to do something big.¡±


    Amber looked at him in a stupor. Ian¡¯s revtions shook her to the core, when she thought about Mark kneeling down to her in her office and his remorseful and conflicted face in Elly¡¯s ward, a cold surge of realization hit her as she realized how especially foolish she had been.


    She believed that Ian wouldn¡¯t lie to her, because he simply had no reason to.


    But she still couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Is this true? How do you know all this?¡±


    Ian didn¡¯t answer her. He tilted his face so that he didn¡¯t have to face her, his expression as cold and obstinate as ever.


    Perhaps even he didn¡¯t realize it, but his expression was exactly that of a lonely and aloof child. In other words, it was a way for him to protect himself from others by distancing himself.


    Amber knew that she had also ended up hurting him.


    His investigating all this was most likely because he wanted to help her. No matter the reason, she seemed to always fail to live up to his expectations.


    She wanted to save the conversation, and did her utmost to sincerely say, ¡°Thank you for telling me all of this. Really. I¡¯m very, very grateful. You don¡¯t know how a shamed I felt before you told me, as I was constantly feeling like it was my fault that Elly¡¯s  father had gone to such extreme lengths to take revenge on those families. All I ever wanted to do was get justice for Elly, but I never intended to implicate so many innocent people.¡±


    ¡°Heh, innocent? In order to help their children get off scot free, they helped destroy evidence after the crime, bought off witnesses, and drove the victim crazy. How could they be innocent?¡±


    ¡°¡­ At most, their actions constitute covering up a crime. They don¡¯t deserve to die.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s only your opinion.¡± Ian¡¯s voice was unusually cold, even for him. ¡°As for me, I don¡¯t think their deaths are worth shedding a tear over.¡±


    Even the corners of his eyes betrayed his coldness. Amber had the odd feeling that he wasn¡¯t talking about the victims of the poisoning, or at the least, not about just them.


    A blurry conjecture slowly took shape in her mind, but before she could develop it any further, she was distracted by his next few words. ¡°Leave. I¡¯ll have mywyer contact youter.¡±


    She could tell that his feelings were in a mess right now.


    ¡°Mr. Axton ¡­.¡±


    ¡°Get out!¡±


    Amber mmed up. It was the first time that she had ever felt that words had power: a cold, icy power that could stop someone from breathing.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. If my carelessness has caused you distress or even hurt you, then I¡¯m really very sorry. I¡¯m very serious about wanting to help you.¡±


    He didn¡¯t respond.


    He just sat there,pletely still like a statue carved out of ice that radiated a frigid chilling aura that drove others far away.N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    After an unknown amount of time that felt like an eternity to Amber he finally asked, ¡°What do you n on helping me with?¡±


    ¡°To build trust with others, to help you ¡­ believe that there is love in this world.¡±


    Ian raised his head slowly and looked at her. Today, she was wearing a stone green jacket. The color was too dark on her, and gave her an old and weary look. It waspletelycking the customary freshness of her normal attire.


    But her eyes were as bright as ever. Her pupils were distinct, like a pool of water that reflected a person¡¯s inner most desire.


    His face started forming a smile, but that smile never reached his eyes. ¡°Love ¡­ just like what you have with that man?¡±


    Then he called out to her. ¡°Amber Camille.¡± For as far as she could remember, he seldom ever referred to her by her full name. And every time he did, her heart would shudder. ¡°Do you want to make a bet with me?¡±


    ¡°¡­ A bet about what?¡±


    ¡°Whether or not you and him will get married. If so, I won¡¯t take even a cent of the settlement fee and will instead donate it all to the two of you as my blessings for your marriage. How about that?¡±


    ¡°¡­ And if we don¡¯t?¡±


    Ian¡¯s voice turned taunting. ¡°Do youck that much confidence in your mutual love? He¡¯s your idol, isn¡¯t he? How can you not get married after thinking about each other for so many years?¡±

 Chapter 56. SADDENING

    After Amber left Axton Hotel, her feelings suddenly felt lighter than before. She didn¡¯t expect that the heavy stone in her heart that was Mark would be so easily removed by Ian.


    She still felt somewhat guilty, but that guilt was no longer directed towards Mark.


    As for the bet that Ian had proposed, she understood what Ian was aiming at. He didn¡¯t believe in love, so a consequence, he also didn¡¯t believe that something good coulde out of Calvin and her.


    He wanted her to realize that their love was worthless and meaningless.


    But did that mean that she now had to enter a romance with Calvin, and then act in such away that Ian would believe it? This was tooughable; she felt that Ian couldn¡¯t possibly be such a shallow man. What did the emotions of others have to do with him?


    But if that were the case, then why did he say what he did?


    Was it truly because he ¡­ liked her? Did he like her so much that he couldn¡¯t bear to make things difficult for her? And had he then found this ludicrous reason as an excuse to give up on that contract?


    As she thought about this, Amber couldn¡¯t help butugh. Rather than saying that Ian couldn¡¯t bear to upset her because he liked her, it was perhaps more urate to say that he¡¯d gotten tired of her. In other words, after he realized that he wouldn¡¯t be able to experience the feelings he wanted from her, he had found a reason to get rid of her.


    And his kiss was just an experiment.


    His helping her was him simply performing the tasks expected of a boyfriend, just like how he said he would fulfill all of her requests for the duration of the contract.


    In this doctor-patient rtionship, she seemed to be the one who was being led around by the nose.


    This realization left her incredibly frustrated and defeated, and it even haunted her dreams that night. In her dreams, she¡¯d suddenly be a super-rich person, and when Ian scolded her with his poisonous mouth and she couldn¡¯t defend herself anymore, she used her endless wealth to win the argument by instigating Billy and the others. ¡°Scold him for me; I¡¯ll give you ten thousand dors for every word you throw at him!¡±


    When she woke up in the middle of a particrly vigorous scolding from Billy, she even wanted to say to her dream self, ¡°Scram, I want to take part in this scolding match myself!¡±


    As she slowly roused herself from sleep, she couldn¡¯t help butugh when she thought back to the contents of her dream.


    She picked up her phone out of habit and saw that her mother had sent her a text. ¡°Today¡¯s the weekend, are youing home?¡±


    And there was also one from Calvin. ¡°Have you woken up?¡±


    Amber was feelingzy and didn¡¯t want to move, so she replied to Calvin first. ¡°I¡¯m awake.¡±


    And almost right after replying, Calvin called her. ¡°Let¡¯s get lunch together at noon. I¡¯ll be at your hospital doing something in the morning.¡±


    His tone was very natural, as if it was just a meeting between regr friends as he asked, ¡°When did you returnst night?¡±


    Yes, even his conversational skills had gotten far better since then.


    Despite Mark¡¯s likely deception, Amber didn¡¯t n on giving up on Elly. She preferred to deal with things as they came and still wanted to first meet with Elly¡¯s mother, who had allegedly left the family. As a result, she said, ¡°I might not be able to do noon. I want to meet a patient¡¯s family, and I¡¯ll probably be doing so at noon.¡±


    Calvin sighed. ¡°You really do work hard. Sometimes I even wish that I were your patient.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± Amber shook her head as she replied, ¡°You should do your best to live your life under the bright sun.¡±


    She mbered out of bed and pulled the blinds open. It was bright outside, and the shining rays made her involuntarily squint.


    ¡°Amber ¡­.¡± Calvin was stilling from her phone.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t cause you any troublest night, did I?¡±N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    He couldn¡¯t help but ask about it again. Amber looked at the bright sunlight outside, unsure whether or not to respond.


    In truth, she could have been frank and told him that she had simply had a conversation with Ian and that they had settled everything. They were no longer together, and she could calmly ept being in a rtionship with him now ¡­ but in her head, Ian¡¯s a loof and obstinate face suddenly appeared. And, when she thought about the bet that he¡¯d made with her, her finger lightly slid over the window top, and she replied, ¡°Nothing much. How about you. Did your things go alright?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still on my way.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    Anotherpse of silence. Both parties felt somewhat embarrassed and awkward. Amber thought that Calvin had to have noticed her change, because his feelings had clearly turned downcast. When he said goodbye to her, his earlier high spirits were gone.


    Amber reflected on her utterck of skill at love and romance. She understood it all in theory, of course; but in reality, it was a big mess.


    That night ¡­ being truthful with Calvin had been her biggest mistake. It seemed like all she had done recently were stupid things.


    Knocking her head against the wall, Amber vigorously spurned herself to action. She knew that this was all because she had been putting too much pressure on herself to obtain results, which was why she had originally taken the risk of epting Elly as a patient. She also strongly desired the recognition of her professor, so she had chosen to ignore everything besides her to get close to Ian.


    Her professor was right. She really was too young and too rash, and her work had be too entangled with her personal life. And now, she was starting to pay the price.

 Chapter 57. HEARTSTOPPING

    Amber took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. After eating a hodgepodge off ridge left overs, she practiced yoga while she waited for her mind and body to rx. When she was ready, she sat down on the yoga mat and pulled out the phone number that Mark had given her.


    As she entered the unfamiliar digits into her phone and listened to the ringing tone, it felt like an eternity before the person on the other end finally picked up. A tender female voice came through from the phone, very politely greeting her. ¡°Hello, who is this?¡±


    Amber indistinctly felt that this voice was somewhat familiar, but she didn¡¯t think too much of it. She stated her identity and then said, ¡°I¡¯m a doctor from Presbiterian Hospital, Dr. Camille. A man named Mark Brown asked me to contact you. Do you have some time to talk with me? If possible, I¡¯d like to meet in person.¡±


    The other party didn¡¯t respond for quite a while. Amber even thought that she had hung up and was just about to check her phone to confirm, but then she finally heard a response. ¡°You¡¯re a doctor.¡±


    This time, her voice was no longer kind and soft, but cold and frosty instead. ¡°Did he ask you to contact me because he¡¯s ill and about to die?¡±


    This time, the other party spoke for quite a while, and without the politeness masking her voice, Amber immediately realized why she found it so familiar.


    Because this was actually someone that she knew, it was ¡­ Calvin¡¯s mother!!


    Amber hung up, somewhat dazed.


    And then she immediately picked up her phone and called Calvin again. ¡°Are ¡­ your matters dealt with? If so, I¡¯d like to invite you to ¡­ um, breakfast?¡±


    ¡°At this time?¡± Calvin¡¯s voice carried a hint ofughter with it as he responded, ¡°Alright, I¡¯m almost done. Where should we eat?¡±


    ¡°My ce?¡± Actually, it would be better to meet at her office in the hospital because they would have more privacy there. However, there was no way she could meet him at the hospital, so her only alternative was to invite him to her house.


    ¡°Alright, give me ten minutes.¡±N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    He said ten minutes, and indeed, ten minutester, Amber met him at the ground floor of her building. She didn¡¯t know where he had run from, as despite the bright sunlight outside, the wind was strong, so strong that it made one¡¯s ears hurt. She was already feeling chilly from head to toe just from standing outside for a moment, but he was sweating from his whole body.


    He stood in front of her, smiling brightly and looking handsome as normal. ¡°Am Ite?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Amber looked at his refined face, her heart skipping a beat. ¡°What do you want to eat?¡±


    ¡°Are you going to make it yourself?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine too. But I have to say, I¡¯m not great at cooking, and there isn¡¯t much at home. So as long as you don¡¯t hate it ¡­.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Even if you made poison, it would still be delicious.¡±


    Because Amber¡¯s heart was troubled, she didn¡¯t even hear what he said clearly, and she only nced at him briefly before leading him up the elevator.


    Calvin was a very sensitive person. When he noticed her absent mindedness, his heart spontaneously began beating faster. Here flexively took out his phone and pretended to look at it, even calling Amber¡¯s number.


    Amber, upon seeing that Calvin had calledbher, waved her phone and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t seem too happy, so I¡¯m just confirming that it¡¯s actually you and not someone impersonating you to meet up with me.¡±


    Amber couldn¡¯t help butugh at hisme joke, finally realizing that she had indeed been absent minded. When she had recollected herself, she apologetically replied, ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m thinking of something else.¡±


    ¡°Then let me guide you so that you don¡¯t identally fall.¡±


    After saying this, he stretched out his handand wrapped it around hers.


    Unlike Ian, Calvin¡¯s hand was warm and dry, and she could feel a thicyer of calluses over his palm.


    Amber wanted to break free, but he said, ¡°Please don¡¯t move. I won¡¯t cross the line again.¡±


    He wouldn¡¯t cross the line, but he would slowly push it, and then eventually move it.


    This was how many an illicit romance started, but Amber and Calvin were just an ordinary couple. She even knew that she shouldn¡¯t refuse him, especially since she¡¯d liked him for so long and since her heart had even fluttered during their reunion.


    But strangely, she didn¡¯t feel all that strongly about him at this moment. She vaguely remembered what she had once jokingly said to a student, that love was just another illusion.


    Beautiful, but just a fleeting illusion.

 Chapter 58. [Untitled]

    Calvin didn¡¯t feel the same ruefulness that Amber was savoring. Although he noticed that Amber was still distracted, he couldn¡¯t have imagined that she was already reevaluating their rtionship in her mind.


    He was still very happy because this was his first timeing to Amber¡¯s house, the house that belonged solely to her. He felt that this was an intimate gesture in and of it self.


    Amber refused his offer to help cook, entering the kitchen alone and busying herself. Calvin held the ss of water she had poured for him and slowly took in this house that had been filled to the brim with Amber¡¯s presence.


    Her house was very clean and tidy. Despite her interior decoration being somewhat at odds with it self, with maple colored furniture and European style marbling, the house was filled with a faint fruity smell that naturally made him rx. Because Calvin liked her so much, he couldn¡¯t seem to find a w with any part of her home, everywhere he looked, it felt pleasing and intimate.


    After looking around in a circle, he sat down on the sofa that she liked to lounge on and picked up the books that she looked at, all rted to medicine,plicated and arcane. But the sight of her notes penciled in that oh-so-familiar script, slim and graceful, threw him back to those childhood years.


    He was engrossed in his reminiscing as he leafed through her books.


    By the time Amber finished making breakfast, she had decided how she would break the news to him. But when she saw looking through her books, she couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°Do you like them?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± He nodded seriously.


    Amber¡¯s smile grew even wider. ¡°Not bad. As someone who studied abroad, reading books like these must be a piece of cake for you. If there¡¯s something that I don¡¯t understand, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be able to help exin it to me.¡±


    Calvin yfully bowed in the manner of a schr. ¡°It would be my pleasure.¡±


    This was a conversation that they had often had while studying. Although it sounded like it would be an awkward conversation, when Calvin said it, it was surprisingly intimate perhaps because his posture was so refined and natural.


    The two of themughed together. Calvin put down the books and walked over happily.


    Amber¡¯s breakfast was very simple, a simple bowl of noodles with a poached egg that was topped with a few stalks of green onion and vored with a dash of red oil. The golden yolk and pale white noodles contrasted with a few sshes of onion green; while it looked quite ordinary, it tasted remarkably good.


    When Amber heard Calvin¡¯s praise, sheughed. ¡°It¡¯s the seasoning that my mother made for me that¡¯s truly tasty, this red chili oil.¡± As she talked, she picked up a small bottle of chili oil from the table. ¡°It¡¯s a true miracle seasoning that can turn even the most unptable meal into something in describably tasty. Without it, I really wouldn¡¯t have had the courage to invite you to eat my food.¡±


    Her exaggeration made Calvinugh. ¡°Your parents really do make delicious food. When I was overseas, I would long for their noodles and dishes every now and then ¡­ But since I¡¯ve been gone for so long, I do feel somewhat afraid of going to see them again now.¡±


    Because Calvin had been poor in the past and his mother always busy, he often eitherate cup noodles or whatever he coulds crounge up. Luckily for him, Ruby¡¯s grades were poor, and as his younger sister, Amber found it embarrassing to help tutor him. So, she had gotten Calvin to do it for her instead. For this reason, Calvin was quite familiar with Amber¡¯s Family, and had frequently had meals with them.


    After Calvin went abroad, they hadn¡¯t heard from him again. Amber¡¯s mother had even asked about him a few times, and still brought him up asionally, always starting off with the words, ¡°That refined and particrly responsible ssmate of yours ¡­?


    After Amber swallowed the food in her mouth, she said, ¡°I¡¯m not free this weekend, but next weekend when I¡¯m free, I¡¯ll invite you to have my mother¡¯s food again.¡±


    She paused, and then added, ¡°Call Trysta and Silvia and the rest of them over too. My mom will be delighted.¡±


    Calvin stared nkly before epting happily, his eyes curving upwards like small crescent moons. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll be free in the afternoon, so I¡¯ll go pick out some gifts forthem right after. I still have some things from overseas. Oh, you should help me picksome things out when you¡¯re free, something that they¡¯d like ¡­.¡±


    She smiledfortingly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about all that. What¡¯s most important is that you go.¡±


    Calvin shook his head. ¡°How can that do? I used to freeload from your ce so much. If I still did that now, then I¡¯m afraid they¡¯d chase me out.¡±


    ¡°How was that considered freeloading? You helped too. If Ruby hadn¡¯t had you around, then he probably couldn¡¯t have gotten into even the most ordinary of universities.¡±


    Upon Ruby being mentioned, Calvin asked, ¡°How¡¯s he doing now?¡±


    ¡°Oh, he dropped out of university and got a job doing construction, which made my mom really angry. But he has a small business now, so I guess he¡¯s doing alright.¡±


    Calvin smiled. ¡°I guess he did get what he wanted in the end. Even when he was studying, he always said that he wanted to be a boss in the future.¡±


    As they ate, they talked about some other funny childhood stories rted to Ruby. When they had almost finished the noodles, Amber asked, ¡°Calvin, do you remember that patient that you metst time at the hospital?¡±


    ¡°The one that bit you?¡±Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Is your hand better now?¡± He immediately looked at her with a gaze full of concern, and then urged once again, ¡°Don¡¯t be so foolish next time. It must have hurt! I think it wouldn¡¯t be so bad if you just behaved like the other doctors, locking them up or strapping them down if they misbehave.¡±


    When Amber heard this, she looked at him with aplex expression.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Calvin asked.


    Amber could only sigh and tiredly exined, ¡°My patient¡¯s situation is a bitplicated. Before she became ill, she received some very severe mental trauma. If we restrain her, then it would only make her resist more. So, I don¡¯t want to do that.¡±


    ¡°But you can¡¯t just let her bite you. What if something happens?¡±

 Chapter 59. WHAT A COINCIDENCE

    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right.¡± Amber stopped arguing with him at this point. ¡°It¡¯s just that she¡¯s a very pitiful child. She suffers from Cotard¡¯s syndrome-oh, that¡¯s walking corpse syndrome. The patients with this disease often experience very severe hallucinations, and sometimes they even believe that they themselves are dead, and that the only thing still existing in this world is their corpse. As a result of this illness, she identally killed her grandmother, the solertive she was living with.


    The police senther over to me. Earlier, she was showing signs of recovery, but she was suddenly provoked that day, which caused her to rpse once again. I¡¯m trying my best to help cure her.¡¯


    ¡°But even if I do cure her, she¡¯ll still have a hard time living in the future because she has no family anymore. Her father was imprisoned a few days ago for a crime that hemitted, and patients suffering from mental illness usually require the love of their family members even more so than usual patients.


    Before her father was imprisoned, he told me that she had a mother who left with her older brother not long after she was born. Because she no longer has anyone to take care of her, I could only try to find her mother and brother on her father¡¯s behalf. It¡¯s been ten years or so since their separation, and I don¡¯t know whether they would be willing to take her in and take care of her.¡±


    Amber talked as she ate, her voice steady and slightly indifferent, as if she were just chatting about a random patient with him. In the beginning, Calvin didn¡¯t pay much attention, and he only revealed a hint of surprise when she said ¡®a mother who left with her older brother.¡¯ When she finished telling Elly¡¯s story, he raised his bowl and swallowed a couple mouthfuls of soup before asking, ¡°Where¡¯s she from?¡±


    ¡°XX Town.¡±


    Calvin¡¯s hands trembled slightly. He put down the bowl, his fingers still tightly clutching at its rim.


    ¡°She¡¯s ¡­ still pretty young, isn¡¯t she?¡±


    ¡°Fourteen, almost fifteen.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Calvin responded, seemingly thinking hard. He lowered his head and gulped down another mouthful of soup, not saying anything.


    Amber didn¡¯t say anything more either. The two of them, in a somewhat sombermood now, finished the remaining food on the table. When she was getting ready to clear the table, Calvin¡¯s phone rang. She went inside the kitchen, and by the time she came out, Calvin was clutching his phone and sitting there silently at the dining table, his face pale.


    Hearing here out, he stood up. ¡°Something came up, and I have to go.¡± His smile was very obviously forced. ¡°Amber ¡­.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for breakfast.¡±


    She smiled, knowing that what he wanted to say right now was not this. However, she didn¡¯t press the matter. ¡°Are you being this polite just so that you can get me to treat you to another two meals?¡±


    When he heard this, he actually didn¡¯t respond, instead turning around and leaving as his state of mind was slightly disturbed. Amber wanted to send him out, but he refused. ¡°It¡¯s cold outside, so don¡¯t bother. I can find my way.¡± He pressed the button for the elevator and stood with his back facing her for quite a while before turning around at thest second as if he had just thought of something. ¡°Did you end up setting up ameeting between you and the patient¡¯s family member whom you contacted?¡±N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    ¡°Yes.¡± She calmly looked at him.


    ¡°You ¡­.¡± He looked at her, wanted to say something but hesitated. Only after quite a while did he ask, ¡°Is she ¡­ easy to get along with?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I¡¯ll only know once I meet her.¡±


    He forced a smile on to his face again. ¡°Actually, I think that you don¡¯t need to do something like this at all. Perhaps, there might be a reason why her mother walked out? Reaching out from the blue¡­ I¡¯m afraid that you¡¯ll feel wronged.¡±


    Amber smiled. ¡°That¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll try my best regardless.¡±


    He nodded and entered the elevator while Amber stood outside. As she looked at the elevator doors closing slowly, looked as he slowly disappeared from her sight, she couldn¡¯t help but sigh deeply.


    The world ¡­ was truly so small.


    ***


    Amber picked up her phone and called the hospital, instructing them to inform her first if anyone tried to inquire about Elly¡¯s condition, even if they were a member of her family.


    She actually didn¡¯t know if Calvin would go there straight away, but she knew that he would definitely go at some point.


    Indeed, right when she was about to leave her house, she received a call from the head nurse, informing her that a man hade to visit Elly. Because it wasn¡¯t visiting hours, she hadn¡¯t let him in, but she did exin the patient¡¯s condition to him in detail.


    Amber asked, ¡°Did he mention his name?¡±


    ¡°He said that his surname was Reyes. He seemed like a somewhat young and talld, quite handsome.¡±


    The hospital also had security footage so that Amber could take a look for herself. Because of the disasterst time a ¡®family member¡¯ had visited Elly, the head nurse had been especially careful this time, and was able to send Amber a picture taken by the security camera.


    The image wasn¡¯t very clear, but it was good enough that Amber could easily recognize just who had visited Elly.


    Even though the man in the image had covered his face the entire time, the body very clearly belonged to Calvin.


    A refined and handsome look, but somewhat thin.


    ***


    Amber waited for a long while at the ce where Calvin¡¯s mother had agreed to meet her. It was almost past lunch time when Calvin¡¯s mother finally appeared.


    She came alone and was dressed inly today, wearing a long shirt, pants made of white down, and a green facemask. If not for the fact that her eyes were exposed as she entered the room, Amber would not have been able to recognize her.


    Amber stood up, and Calvin¡¯s mother walked straight up to her. She stood there for a while, looking at her, before taking off her face mask and sighing, ¡°I didn¡¯t think that it would really be you.¡±


    Calvin¡¯s mother clearly hadn¡¯t managed to identify Amber¡¯s voice over the phone, so when she said, ¡°It would really be you,¡± it was clear that Calvin had informed her about it before hand.


    Amber smiled and invited her to sit. ¡°Would you like to eat something?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± She looked at Amber directly. ¡°Did you already know that it was me?¡±


    ¡°No, but I identified your voice in the middle of our phone call.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Calvin¡¯s mother was somewhat surprised, and sheughed at herself.

 Chapter 60. UNBEARABLE part 1

    ¡°I, on the other hand, couldn¡¯t identify you at all.¡± Calvin¡¯s mother eyes drooped as she yed with her facemask. ¡°I only realized it was you after Calvin told me that it was you who wanted to see me.¡±


    ¡°Sorry. I didn¡¯t intentionally try to hide my identity from you, I was also very surprised by this coincidence.¡±


    ¡°Right, surprised. Who knows,¡± Calvin¡¯s mother mumbled, only breaking out of her stupor after a while. ¡°Alright. What happened to that family?¡±


    Her voice wasn¡¯t as cold as when she had answered the phone, but it was clear that she didn¡¯t like them either. Amber exined what she knew, but when Calvin¡¯s mother heard that Elly¡¯s grandmother had died at Elly¡¯s hands, Calvin¡¯s mother onlyughed coldly, as she said, ¡°Truly, a just retribution!¡±


    And when she heard Amber recount what Mark had said in the hospital, sheughed even more coldly. ¡°He¡¯s really gotten better at acting, hasn¡¯t he? Being better to his daughter? If he had really wanted to do that, he would have done it before she became a victim. It¡¯s more that he was desperate and just wanted to drag at least a few others down with him, right?¡±


    Amber had to admit, as someone who had once shared a bed with Elly¡¯s father, Calvin¡¯s mother knew him very well.


    Amber also didn¡¯t know what to say because she could hear that Calvin¡¯s mother didn¡¯t need her acknowledgment.


    After getting up to speed on the situation, Calvin¡¯s mother finally asked about Elly. ¡°Can her illness be treated?¡±


    ¡°That will depend on what happens in the future. Even if a patient suffering from mental illness is able to leave the hospital, there¡¯ll be a long period during which she¡¯ll need her family members support and apaniment. This is necessary for her to slowly reintegrate into society and get back on track again.¡±


    ¡°And if not? Will she just stay crazy, as she is now?¡±


    Amber remained silent, agreeing tacitly.


    When Calvin¡¯s mother saw Elly¡¯s reaction, she took a cigarette out of her bag and lit it. Only after taking a few deep breaths did she say, ¡°Actually, it¡¯s fine even if she¡¯s crazy. This way, at least she won¡¯t know everything, so she won¡¯t have to be pained by her father and her own actions.¡±


    ¡°Mrs. Kenric!¡± Amber frowned.


    ¡°Can you not bear to listen to my words?¡± Calvin¡¯s mother nced at her and smiled, beautiful in its own grimness. ¡°I¡¯m just telling the truth. How hard it is to live! You¡¯re only free after you go crazy or die, just like that man. Hah, if he wanted to toss that girl to me and have me raise her, then why didn¡¯t he do it fourteen years ago?


    At that time, I would have taken her away with me even if I had to suffer a bit, but he waited until she was crazy and silly before throwing her to me. What kind of person does he think I am?!¡±Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    She was obviously emotionally agitated, and nothing Amber could say now would help. Instead, she chose to say nothing and listen passively.


    Calvin¡¯s mother, as expected,ined a great deal. The general gist of her words matched what Amber had gleaned from other sources. Elly¡¯s father loved to gamble, and he did it so often that he even developed good acting skills from it. Thus, those who didn¡¯t know the truth all thought that he was a good, honest, responsible man.


    In truth, however, his actions were so vile that all his rtives kept him at arms lengt hand all his friends had severed their rtionships. Calvin¡¯s mother leaving him was not without cause, it hadn¡¯t even been a month since Elly¡¯s birth when debtors came to collect his debts.


    However, what could he do with the little money she made? So, he had decided to prey upon Calvin. ¡°He didn¡¯t try to sell off his entire body, but he somehow found a connection to an organ buyer and wanted to sell off his organs, Amber.¡± As Calvin¡¯s mother exined their history, tears started streaking down her face. ¡°You¡¯ve seen him, that despicable man. Do you believe that he could have done this?¡±


    Amber shook her head. She couldn¡¯t believe it, but she believed that Calvin¡¯s mother had spoken the truth. Honestly, once she had found out that Calvin¡¯s mother was also Elly¡¯s mother, she had also realized that much of what she had heard in the town wasn¡¯t necessarily true.


    At the least, she had some prior knowledge about what kind of person Calvin¡¯s mother had been during those few years of her highschool. If she were truly as promiscuous as the towns folk suggested, then she wouldn¡¯t have struggled so hard by taking on multiple jobs at once just so that Calvin could receive a proper education.


    Only, Amber never imagined that the truth would be far more horrifying and extreme than she could have ever anticipated.


    Calvin¡¯s mother gently wiped her tears, but she continued sobbing intermittently as she spoke to Amber. ¡°Given how kind hearted society is these days, even if Elly had a mother who ran away and a useless father ¡­ As long as she could stand on her own two feet, then why would she be ostracized? Rather than being bullied, she must have been implicated, implicated by those actions of his, causing the other parents to sic their kids on her!¡±


    Amber suddenly felt a chill creep down on her back upon realizing the implication behind Calvin¡¯s mother words. She somewhat arduously asked, ¡°That couldn¡¯t be, right? Perhaps he became ¡­ betterter on?¡±


    ¡°Better?¡± Calvin¡¯s mother could onlyugh at Amber¡¯s response, her beautiful face turning somewhat sinister. ¡°Then do you know why I had to remarry? Why, even though Calvin did so well on this country, I still sent him overseas? Because he found me! He asked me for money, and if I didn¡¯t give him any, then he said that he would harm my precious child.


    He¡¯s crazy, he¡¯s capable of doing anything! So why is the world so unfair? Why wasn¡¯t he the one sent to a mental hospital? Why is he still alive, even after hurting so many people?!¡±


    ¡®But wasn¡¯t Calvin his son? Would that man really ruin his own son just for money?¡¯


    Amber had seen her fair share of ugliness, but even she couldn¡¯t guarantee that there weren¡¯t such parents in the world.

 Chapter 61. UNBEARABLE part 2

    She didn¡¯t want to discuss Elly¡¯s father with Calvin¡¯s mother any further. The past was clearly too hard for her to bear, and her old wounds had never healed properly either. But this discussion had shed a light on why Calvin¡¯s personality back in high school had been so awkward, introverted, and reticent. It exined why he wished so hard to be invisible despite his good grades.


    She grabbed Calvin¡¯s mother hand with her own. She was trembling; what had happened in the past had left an indelible trauma on her body.


    ¡°He¡¯s been punished now, so let by gones be by gones. And, Mrs. Kenric, you¡¯re really an amazing parent for having raised Calvin so well.¡± Amber consoled her gently. ¡°Even for Elly, leaving such a family behind would only be a fortunate thing for her. She¡¯s a very well behaved child, talented at both school and drawing. When she recovers, with your love, not only will she be able to lead a regr person¡¯s life, but she will also be able to love and show filial respect to you.¡±


    ¡°Respect? Love? I don¡¯t hope for those things anymore.¡± Though Calvin¡¯s mother said this, she did calm down slowly. She snuffed out her cigarette and rubbed her face out of exhaustion. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I gave birth to her, and I¡¯ll take care of her. Mark knew this, which is why he foisted her on to me. I¡¯m not like him, but I won¡¯t be able to spend that much effort on her.


    Amber, as my son¡¯s childhood ssmate, I don¡¯t fear yourughter. The family I remarried into is too rich, so much so that they think everyone¡¯s just out for their fortune. They don¡¯t even want Calvin to join the family, let alone someone like Elly.¡±


    After saying this, she opened her bag and gave a card to Amber. ¡°There¡¯s a bit of money in here. Calvin knows the pin number. Take it. If she doesn¡¯t recover, then let her stay in the hospital, if she does ¡­ then please give her this money and help her rent a house and enjoy life on her own in the future.¡±


    After saying all this, she prepared to leave. Amber was shocked. ¡°Aren¡¯t you ¡­ aren¡¯t you going to see her? Visiting hours for the day are just about to end.¡±N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going.¡± Calvin¡¯s mother turned away from Amber as she coldly said, ¡°Ever since she was born, I haven¡¯t raised her for a single moment. She probably doesn¡¯t want to see me in the future either.¡±


    Before Amber could say anything else, Calvin¡¯s mother had opened the door and quickly left.


    Amber rushed out and saw Calvin standing there in the middle of the outside corridor, staring at her with a vacant gaze.


    Calvin¡¯s mother walked past his side, pulled at his hand, and dragged him away.


    Amber didn¡¯t try to chase after them. After wards, she received a call from Calvin. He didn¡¯t speak for a long time. Through the static of the radio waves, she could only hear his repressed andbored breathing.


    It was just like that year, when he had called her from a far away country, when it was snowing heavily at the end of December. And just like then, Amber sat by the window, looking out into the white world. ¡°Who are you?¡±


    He didn¡¯t respond. The only sound that came from the phone was a light breathing noise. She asked for his identity a few more times without response, and was just about to hang up when she suddenly thought of him.


    ¡°Calvin.¡±


    And finally, he answered, lightly whispering back, ¡°Yes.¡±


    She fell silent, not knowing what to say next. The two of them remained in that silent vigil until he finally hung up.


    This time, it was he who called her first.


    ¡°Amber.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I was shocked numb by that piece of news.¡±


    Amber¡¯s voice was gentle. ¡°It¡¯s understandable. I was very shocked too.¡±


    Calvinughed bitterly. Sometimes, he felt that fate was really always against him; every time, whenever he arduously mustered up enough courage to start a new life, something like this would always happen.


    Ten years ago, he had done his best to enter the same university as her. But then his mother had remarried and he had been sent abroad.


    Ten yearster, he had mustered up his courage to confess to her, but just when he thought that they had a chance of working out, his past had been dredged up and somehow made even worse than before.


    Amber could only say that one sentence before Calvin hung up. Afterwards, no matter how much she called, she couldn¡¯t get through to him.


    He had turned his phone off.


    Evidently, he was still that sensitive youth of the past, embarrassed of his own background and reflexively isting himself from everyone else.


    But the fact that he had taken the initiative to call her made it clear that he had matured quite a bitpared to that time. At the very least, he had the courage to face her now.


    As Amber mulled over the situation, she sent him a text. ¡°I¡¯m at my home. If you need someone to talk to, I¡¯ll be here waiting for you.¡±


    After that, she did obediently go home and wait there. Even when Amber¡¯s mother had finished work and was packing up, she was still there, waiting. Amber¡¯s mother couldn¡¯t help but call her. ¡°How long has it been since you¡¯vee back? Are you lost? Should I send out a pnquin for you?¡±


    Sweat dripped down from Amber¡¯s forehead. She quickly responded in an ingratiating tone. ¡°I¡¯m a bit busy right now. I¡¯ll be sure toe home next week.¡±


    ¡°Busy? Busy with what?¡± Amber¡¯s mother didn¡¯t listen to her words at all, and instead started thinking about that dolt who had randomly showed up at her daughter¡¯s house. The thoughts incensed her, and her voice immediately deepened. ¡°It can¡¯t be that you still haven¡¯t broken up with that man, can it?¡±

 Chapter 62. WORRIES

    ¡°No, something really dide up.¡± Amber didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry.


    ¡°Why is it that I can¡¯t seem to bring myself to believe you?¡±


    Amber spread her hands in the air as she responded, ¡°I don¡¯t know what to say.¡±


    Her mother refused to believe her, and demanded a video call. Amber could only ept, turn on the camera on her phone, and swivel it around to reveal the entire house. But her mother was still somewhat dissatisfied. ¡°What if you hid him somewhere?¡±


    Amber had no response to this, and simply pointed the phone at herself while she sat on the sofa and read.


    After looking at her for a while, Amber¡¯s mother anger dissipated as she continued to watch her merely sit there quietly. Her next words were spoken caringly. ¡°Why do I feel like you¡¯ve gotten even thinner? Have you been eating properly? I put so much food in the fridge for you. Did you remember to eat?¡±From N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°¡­ Yes.¡±


    But in her head, she mentally pped herself in. My goodness, she had totally forgotten that there was food in the fridge. She had actually served Calvin a bowl of simple noodles that morning! Every time her mother came, she would stuff her daughter¡¯s fridge full. It was mostly prepared meals that only required simple cooking processes, like rice balls, dumplings, and beef jerky.


    Amber especially loved the beef jerky made of meat that her mother had specially procured from the country side; it was tasty and hunger relieving ¡­ but she had forgotten to eat any of it!


    When Amber¡¯s mother saw her behavior, she began to doubt her daughter¡¯s words. ¡°You finished it all?¡±


    Amber was very worried that her mother would want her to open the freezer to verify it, but luckily, she didn¡¯t because she quickly thought of something even more concerning. ¡°All you¡¯re doing is staying at home, reading? You call this busy?¡±


    Amber had to choose her next few words carefully. ¡°There¡¯s an examination next month that¡¯ll heavily impact my career and future. I¡¯ve been really busy recently and haven¡¯t had much time to study up on it. Also, I have to meet a patient¡¯s familyter, and at night, there¡¯s a meeting at the hospital.¡±


    To sum it up in one short sentence, she was extremely busy.


    After hearing her excuses, her mother turned to her father. ¡°In the past, I thought that being a doctor was a good profession-at the very least, you didn¡¯t have to worry about losing your job. While it¡¯s true that we don¡¯t have to worry about that happening to Amber now, with her life being like this, I¡¯m worried she won¡¯t even have time to get married and have children. And what if she ends up living at home alone, even in old age?¡±


    Of course, what she had said at the very end was aimed directly at Amber. But she merely continued to flip through her books dispassionately, ignoring what her mother had said.


    Her mother could only tug at Amber¡¯s father and say, ¡°Your daughter isn¡¯t listening to me. You talk to her.¡±


    Her father felt somewhat embarrassed because even though Amber was all grown up now, he hadn¡¯t ever given her much advice, or even much scolding. Further more, given how sensible she was, he wasn¡¯t too worried about her. Despite all that, he still had to carry out his wife¡¯s order. In the end, he ambled to the screen, and softly urged Amber. ¡°Darling, please listen to your mother¡¯s words.¡±


    Amber crisply replied, ¡°Okay.¡±


    And with that, her father felt like he had finished his task, so he turned around and said to his wife, ¡°Look, I talked to her and she listened.¡±


    Her mother stared at him, open mouthed, and couldn¡¯t decide as she vacited between haranguing her daughter and criticizing her husband¡¯s shorings.


    With her mother¡¯s harsh scolding as background noise, Amber continued to calmly read her books. Because her parents didn¡¯t drag her into their conversation, she quickly forgot about them. She became quite engrossed in her books, enjoying even the densest and most monotonous of medical tomes; luckily, this book wasn¡¯t uninteresting at all.


    It had been a gift from one of her ssmates that had been specially bought overseas, an original English copy. The case studies with in were very enriching, and one of them even mentioned Cotard¡¯s syndrome.


    In this book, the patient was a middle aged woman. After going through a divorce, being fired from her job, and losing her child all in a row, she had developed that illness. Her doctor had attempted to use some antidepressants to treat her. Initially, the treatment had seemed to be working well, and the patient was able to leave the hospital. But not long after she went home, shemitted suicide.


    The conclusion of the case study was that the patient did not receive sufficient care and love from her family members and had consequently lost her motivation to live. The takeaway message was that patients suffering from mental illnesses require more care and depend on their family members more than patients with conventional illnesses.


    After reading this passage, Ambers heart fell. She held her book, dazed, for quite a while, and was so entranced that she even forgot that she was still in a video call with her mother.


    When the doorbell rang, she finally put down the book and realized that it had gotten quitete; the living room was draped in the setting dusk sun with only a sliver of light.


    She rubbed her eyes, casually flicked the light on, and opened the door.


    It was Calvin, but his whole body was steeped in the sour smell of alcohol, and he was haphazardly leaning back against her door frame. When he heard the door open, he turned around somewhat slowly.


    ¡°Amber.¡± He called out, his voice low and unfocused.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    He didn¡¯t respond, only smiling at her briefly before his body stumbed and hended in herp.


    ¡°Ah-¡± Amber was flustered by his actions, and had to put in some serious effort to support and slowly drag him into the living room, eventually letting him fall a sleep on her sofa.


    When she noticed his red face and high body temperature, Amber got up to pour a cup of water for him. However, he unexpectedly reached out with his hand and abruptly caused her to slip on top of his body.


    ¡°You-¡± But before she could finish speaking, she heard her mother¡¯s voice from behind her. ¡°You! Am ¡­ ber!¡±

 Chapter 63. ADULTERY!

    Amber turned around fearing the worst, realizing toote that the phone she had ced on the coffee table earlier was still recording. The screen showed her mother¡¯s dumbstruck face.


    But soon after, her face disappeared from the screen, and Amber¡¯s father big hand appeared again, this time ending the video call.


    On their side was undoubtedly another big argument, but Amber couldn¡¯t worry about it right now. She turned around, and saw that Calvin was watching her. He had a very nice pair of eyes; they wererge and slightly bent at the sides, and they always held a somewhat hazy look when he looked at people, along with an unfathomable drop of mncholy.


    That mncholy was particrly eye catching, like the stained ssmp her grandmother made for her when she was small. In deep winter nights, it always made her want to remove themp shade to see the colored light more clearly.


    This time, his attractive eyes were apanied by a half smile dancing about his lips. The rims of his eyes were red, but his pupils were bright and alluring, more than enough to make one¡¯s heart drunk.


    She asked him, ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    He only looked at her.


    ¡°Calvin?¡± She carefully said, ¡°Let me go. You¡¯re drunk. I¡¯ll get you a ss of water.¡±


    These words finally shook him awake. ¡°No!¡± As he said this, he pulled harder with his hand, tightly grasping her arm.


    ¡°Amber ¡­.¡± He mumbled her name as he incoherently said, ¡°Did you know? I¡¯m so happy that he¡¯s finally in, finally in!¡±N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    Amber stared at him nkly for a moment before asking, ¡°He? As in, your father?¡±


    ¡°Father? Ha, father!¡± Calvinughed as if he had heard a funny joke, and looked at her with smiling eyes.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a father. He¡¯s not my father!¡± Calvin grabbed her even harder; Amber had originally been using her hands to keep herself steady on the sofa, but this time, she waspletely pulled forward by his strength, and helplessly fell on to his chest.


    He slowly raised himself toward her head, and then lightly whispered into her ear, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you a secret. I¡¯m not his son!¡±


    Amber gave him a look of surprise. His face still carried a smile, almost as if he had said something amazing.


    ¡°You don¡¯t believe me?¡± Calvin asked.


    Amber shook her head. ¡°No.¡±


    Actually, she just didn¡¯t want to keep listening to him in this kind of situation, but this wasn¡¯t a decision she could make.


    Calvin was still smiling, but that smile made her feel even worse than if he was crying. ¡°I¡¯m a bastard. My mom was already carrying me when she married him. At that time, he said that he wouldn¡¯t mind and would take care of both her and me.


    However, when I was born, he and his mother almost drowned me. My mom said that they tried twice, but I didn¡¯t die either time. In the end, they only let me live because they couldn¡¯t keep trying.¡±


    When Calvin saw the shock on Amber¡¯s face, he looked even happier. ¡°You don¡¯t believe me, do you? Actually, I don¡¯t either. That man, with his refined and polite look, doesn¡¯t look at all like someone who would do something like that. But in truth, he¡¯s a parasite, a leech, a gambler, and a fraud.


    My mom didn¡¯t dare have another child for a long period of time, so he beat her and he beat me. When she finally gave birth to a daughter, he ignored her. And when my mom was unable to get out of bed, he ¡­ so, to sum it up, Amber, I¡¯m actually very happy that he¡¯s finally gotten what he deserves.


    His mother is dead, his daughter is crazy, and he himself is in prison. In the end, with nothing to his name, he even has to rely on us to take care of his daughter. Hahaha, karma actually exists, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    After he poured his heart out, Calvin startedughing loudly, so much so that he started choking and curled up into a ball in response, so much so that he even started tearing up.


    But he was still holding on to to her desperately, his hand gripping her exactly where Elly had bitten her, where her wound was wide and deep, and where the swelling had just died down. This hold was so painful that Amber involuntarily sucked in a deep breath and could onlyy there, paralyzed, by his side.


    The two of them had been positioned in quite the suggestive position earlier, and now it was even more so after he had mbered forward. As she fell down, her head hadnded on his abdomen.


    She didn¡¯t feel like it was a big deal, but the person who just burst in was so surprised that he almost jumped up in shock. ¡°F*ck! Am I blind? Are you really hiding a man behind Ian¡¯s back, Dr. Camille? Are you crazy?!¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    A familiar voice and an equally familiar style of speech.


    Ian¡¯s friend, Billy, loved to appear in extremely unconventional means.


    When Amber suddenly saw him appear in her house unannounced, she was naturally very surprised. As she struggled to climb up, she turned around to look at him before dealing with her current situation. ¡°How did you get in?¡±


    After Billy had finished jumping and yelling in shock, he immediately took out his phone to take some pictures as evidence.


    Kacha kacha, photo after photo was saved.


    When he was satisfied, he angrily shouted, ¡°Your front door was open wide; I just walked in, of course!¡± He narrowed his eyes and looked at the two of them. ¡°I really didn¡¯t expect you to be like this, Dr. Camille. You¡¯ve got some guts! You¡¯re quite arrogant, aren¡¯t you? Engaging in intimate acts without even closing your door!¡±


    The words that he used were really disgusting. Amber frowned, and ignored him to focus on Calvin. He seemed a bit more clear headed now, as he was no longer messing around now that he realized that someone else had entered; he justy there on the sofa, silent.

 Chapter 64. ARE YOU TRYING TO SEDUCE ME?

    Feeling his grip loosening, Amber quickly moved away from him.


    Billy said, ¡°It¡¯s useless even if you get away from him. I¡¯ve already collected all the evidence I need.¡±


    Amber continued ignoring him, and walked over to her kitchen to get Calvin a ss of water. ¡°Do you want any?¡±


    He curled up and shook his head, then covered his face with his hands, as if he were an ostrich. Amber sighed lightly, putting the ss of water to the side.


    ¡°Then rest a bit first.¡± Then she took out a nket from the side cupboard and covered him up. ¡°Rest well, and you¡¯ll be fine once you wake up.¡¯


    After saying this, she gently caressed his hand. His finger moved slightly and returned the motion.


    When her fingers touched his face, he couldn¡¯t help but tighten his fingers into a grip, and Amber silently endured him rubbing his face against her fingers.


    Her fingers suddenly encountered a warm dampness.


    Amber was a bit surprised, but he didn¡¯t try to struggle this time. Instead, she patted Calvin¡¯s back with her free hand. These intimate actions between the two people, carried out as if nobody else present, annoyed Billy very much.


    ¡°Hey, do you two have any sense of decency? I¡¯m right here! Originally, I thought that it might have just been a misunderstanding, and I wanted to give you a chance to exin yourself. However, now, it looks like you don¡¯t have to exin anything.¡± He picked up his phone and called Ian, his voice unusually serious. ¡°Come quickly. Yes. You have toe over right away ¡­ yes, something came up. It¡¯s big.¡±


    On the sofa, Calvin¡¯s body suddenly stilled. Amber rubbed her forehead out of annoyance, let go of Calvin, and then dragged Billy to one side. ¡°Can you be quiet for a minute? And stop looking at me like that. First of all, I already broke up with Mr. Axton. Secondly, I certainly haven¡¯t been doing anything as intimate as you think. And finally, I¡¯d like to ask why you¡¯re here to see me.¡±


    She said a whole bunch all at once, but Billy only focused on one sentence. ¡°What? You broke up with Ian? Heh, then were those ghosts that I sawst night? Were the people who mocked me for being a third wheel ghosts, too?¡±


    Amber looked at him exasperatedly, not knowing where to begin her exnation. In the end, she could only push it onto someone else. ¡°At any rate, Mr. Axton understands what our rtionship is now. If you want to know why, then go ask him.¡±


    After hearing her words, Billy actually believed her, and he scratched his head as he muttered, ¡°How quickly the world changes! You two already broke up? You were even getting intimate allst night.¡± After ncing briefly at Calvin, who was lying on the sofa, he became bold and confident again.


    ¡°Then it has to have been your fault. At the very least, I thought that you and that guy were quite intimatest night.¡± He turned and pointed at Calvin as he said, ¡°He¡¯s the man who was with youst night, wasn¡¯t he? With a man like Ian, you can¡¯t just judge him by his cold outer exterior. I¡¯m telling you, he has a raging fire inside, and he¡¯s a clean freak through and through. There¡¯s no chance he¡¯d want you if you were messing around with another mante in the night!¡±


    Billy was certainly very skilled at endlessly pestering someone. Amber looked at him and couldn¡¯t decide whether to smile or to cry, but her impression of Billy had actually improved slightly.


    At least, given Ian¡¯s terrible personality, it couldn¡¯t have been easy for Billy to defend him like this.


    So despite his guesses being far from the truth, and despite his flinty gaze that left Amber speechless, she didn¡¯t get mad. Instead, she calmly asked, ¡°Did you find me for a reason?¡±


    ¡°Originally, yes. But now, no,¡± Billy said with a supercilious look. ¡°No wonder he wouldn¡¯te even after I shouted at him for half a day. But actually ¡­.¡± He couldn¡¯t help but click his tongue as he looked Amber over again. ¡°You¡¯re quite something, able to act normally even after dumping him a day ago.¡¯


    ¡°But your eye sight must be terrible, since it looks like you picked up a sesame seed by dropping a watermelon in the process.¡± Heughed coldly. ¡°I¡¯ll see how you fare in the future!¡±


    Amber looked at him, her interest somewhat piqued.


    Billy fiercely replied, ¡°What are you looking at? Are you trying to seduce me, too?¡± He was actually very mad, really, very mad. He had been friends with Ian for many years, and naturally understood how difficult it was for someone like him to like someone. Originally he had even been quite happy for him, but this ¡­ this had been the result.


    Thinking of this made Billy feel as if someone had lit a fire in his soul. Besides his stuffy personality, what aspect of Ian Axton wasn¡¯t ideal? And she had even dared to dump him! Was she blind?


    As Amber looked at his changing expression, she became very worried that he would go on a rampage to vent his frustrations, given how much like a gangster he talked and acted. However, he only paced back and forth in a few circles before he stopped and pointed his finger at her before saying, ¡°You, you better not appear in front of us ever again!¡±


    And then he flicked his sleeves dramatically and prepared to leave. But, just when he turned to face the door, he stopped once again.


    At some point, Ian had arrived, and he was now standing at the door with a cool expression on his face. In the softmplight, he cut a fine figure with his straight body emanating elegance from every inch of it.


    When he saw the two people look at him, he finally knocked on the door, and even amiably asked Billy, ¡°Why did you get so angry? You¡¯re being somewhat unreasonable.¡±From N?velDrama.Org.


    Amber was still fine, because the only impression she had of him was that he was a bit too cold. However, Billy looked like he had seen a ghost, and his mouth was opened so wide that he could have swallowed an egg whole.

 Chapter 65. THE STRANGE COUPLE

    It took quite a while, but after Ian took off his shoes and entered the house, Billy finally recovered. He walked in front of Ian and closely examined him over and over again. ¡°Is this really the Ian that I know?¡±


    Usually, when faced with a joke like this, Ian would have ignored him. But today, he was surprisingly tolerant, and answered with a grunt.


    It made Billy feel like he should leave and go clear his mind. For him to be this calm, this easy going, even after being dumped ¡­ perhaps he should consider letting this guy get dumped several more times.


    But all of this was nothingpared to his attitude towards Amber.


    Amber asked, ¡°Did somethinge up? Why are you guys here?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m hungry.¡±


    Amber froze for a moment and then turned around to look at the time. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s already 5:30. I guess we can eat now. If I have to make food, it¡¯d take too long, but I do have some beef jerky, meatballs, and dumplings that my mom made, what do you want to eat?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s up to you.¡±


    And so Amber rolled up her sleeves and said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll get you a bit of everything.¡± After saying this, she headed to the kitchen.


    Ian was very pleased. He followed behind her and sat down at the dining table, waiting for the meal, almost as if he hadn¡¯t seen the man lying on the sofa in the living room.


    Billy merely watched him, open mouthed.


    Billy also followed behind Ian as they sat down, asking, ¡°So, what¡¯s the situation between the two of you?¡±Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡®Was he too old to know the newest trends anymore? He always felt that the world was moving too quickly!¡¯


    Even after they had allegedly separated, the two of them still acted so naturally towards each other; one had said that he was hungry, and the other, just like a dutiful wife, had immediately run off to cook something. But on the other hand, if they weren¡¯t separated, then it was way too unusual for Ian to not react even after seeing a strange man sleeping at his partner¡¯s house!


    Ian¡¯s patience with Billy was clearly limited to before he entered the doorway, because he didn¡¯t deign to respond to him now. Instead, Ian lowered his head and started to y ¡®Extreme app that he¡¯d be obsessed with recently, a particrly childish and boring kids game about little flying cars.


    What¡¯s more, Ian¡¯s skills were particrly horrid. Ten times out of ten, he¡¯d crash his car against a cliff. Despite his having yed it for over half a month, Ian still hadn¡¯t gotten past a single checkpoint.


    This time was no different. Billy had just sat down and was about to say something when he saw Ian¡¯s car smash down with a big ¡°Bang!¡± sign filling the screen-he had crashed into a roadblock. The crash destroyed the car entirely and instantly killed the driver, only leaving a bunch of ss shards and blood spurting out from within the car.


    Billy¡¯s eyes twitched, and he pretended that he hadn¡¯t seen anything. He earnestly urged Ian, saying, ¡°Don¡¯t y this game, alright? Even if it doesn¡¯t lower your intelligence, it¡¯s very damaging to your image. Anyway, tell me what you n on doing about that man. Do you want to chop him up or smash him to pieces with a hammer? I¡¯d be very happy to lend you a hand.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the guy we met that day near the river, isn¡¯t it? F*ck, then he must have gotten together with her before the two of you broke up! Are you really going to let him off just like that?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that you should eat anything that she cooks. With her skills as a doctor, who knows if she¡¯ll add something else inside?¡±


    ¡­.


    He spoke until his mouth became parched and his tongue dry, but Ian impassively continued to y his game. Billy couldn¡¯t help but grumble, ¡°Say something, won¡¯t you?¡±


    Ian didn¡¯t even raise his head as he replied, ¡°Oh.¡±


    What a particrly gloomy man. Billy was unable to incite a response from him, so he decided to switch to a different tactic.


    ¡°Do you know what I saw when I first came in? They were ¡­.¡± He extended his hand to within Ian¡¯s range of vision, and made a particrly vulgar hand gesture as he noisily sucked in air with his mouth. ¡°It was nearly too unbearable to look at! I even took a picture. Do you want to see?¡±


    Billy assumed that Ian would ignore him just like before, but right as he finished speaking, Ian¡¯s car once again crashed viciously into an obstacle. The charred metal of the wreckage rolled off into the horizon, somersaulting through the air until it finallynded heavily on the ground.


    Ian mashed furiously at a button, turning the car to scrap instantly.


    Only after this did Billy realize that all of Ian¡¯s actions in the game were violent. His back covered in ayer of cold sweat, Billy quickly became submissive, saying, ¡°Don¡¯t elerate when you¡¯re turning a curve, don¡¯t rush it, do it slowly. Actually, there must be something wrong in the settings of this broken game. Wouldn¡¯t it be better if the roads were straight? How stupid must the creator be to make so many curved paths, cliffs, and obstacles ¡­.¡±


    When Ian looked over at him, he immediately shed a gentle smile at him. ¡°Let me ask you something, why are you eating here?¡±


    Ian lowered his head again and coolly replied, ¡°I¡¯m hungry.¡± His reason was just this simple.


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    Billy was somewhat dazed, because he could smell a wonderful scent, and then he realized verymentably that he too was hungry.


    Very, very hungry!


    Last night, Ian had abruptly left him in the restaurant halfway through, and then he had to leave because he had something to do. He had even slepttest night and was busy the whole day today, identally skipping lunch on top of that.


    In the afternoon, Ansell and the rest had booked a ce and insisted that he and Ian make up for their missed gathering. To meet up with everyone, he had gone to find Ian right after work, so he hadn¡¯t eaten anything decent for the whole day.


    As he kept thinking about food, he got hungrier; as he kept sniffing at the air, he got even hungrier. By this point, his stomach was almost inmed with desire.


    Billy pounded the table. ¡°I¡¯m hungry too!¡±

 Chapter 66. A WARM SCENT

    The two of them cried out pitifully for food, and Amber didn¡¯t disappoint them, preparing a sumptuous dinner, a big te of dumplings, a dish full of beef jerky, a bowl of meatballs, and a pan of fried eggs.


    Billy was salivating just from looking at it, but he still disdainfully said, ¡°There aren¡¯t any vegetables here.¡±


    Amber turned around and unceremoniously took out two big leeks from the kitchen. ¡°This is green. Do you want it?¡±


    Billy had no response to Amber¡¯s quip.


    A hint of a smile shed across Ian¡¯s eyes. He put down his phone, picked up the tableware that Amber had set out for him, and began to eat slowly.


    Billy tried his best not to stare at those leeks. He was very suspicious that Ian had said something to Amber, how else could she have known that that very thing she had taken out was what he¡¯d most hated and despised?N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    ¡°Take it, take it away.¡± He really couldn¡¯t stand it anymore.


    ¡°You won¡¯t eat it?¡± Amber put on an innocent look, and then continued selling it enthusiastically. ¡°It helps prevent cancer.¡±


    Billy turned his face around, vowing not to give in.


    Amber couldn¡¯t help butugh upon seeing his antics. After she¡¯d teased him sufficiently, she finally put the leeks away, took out another dish of steamed dumplings with one hand and a bowl of soup with the other, a very simple dish made with ham and tofu, random leftovers from the fridge.


    The smell was quite mixed, but as soon as Amber put in a bit of the red chili oil that her mother had made, it instantly smelled appetizing.


    When Billy confirmed that she hadn¡¯t put any leeks inside, he finally approved of the meal. ¡°It¡¯s good now.¡±


    Amberughed. Seeing that the two of them were having a good time, she went to the living room to check up on Calvin. He was sleeping soundly, his breathing calm and his posture rxed.


    She didn¡¯t wake him up. Instead, she returned to the dining room, poured herself a bowl of soup, and started eating together with them.


    Billy ate until he was perspiring all over his body a thin sheen of sweat adorned his shiny head. Amber found his appearance surprisingly funny. She asked casually, ¡°Is it tasty?¡±


    Perfectly satisfied with the meal, Billy forgot all about his annoyance towards her and praised her generously. ¡°It¡¯s great! Especially this beef jerky, ah, it¡¯s super tasty! The meatballs aren¡¯t too bad either. It¡¯s only the dumplings that don¡¯t have a great consistency, you probably left it in the fridge for too long.¡±


    Amber smiled mysteriously. ¡°No, I just added a little something to them.¡±


    While the two were talking earlier, Billy hadn¡¯t spoken softly, so she¡¯d overheard the sentence where Billy was talking about how he was afraid that she would add something to their food.


    Billy didn¡¯t feel a single hint of embarrassment at getting caught saying something behind her back. Instead, his only response was tough slyly, pick up a dumpling, and stuff it into his mouth. Then he turned around to look at Ian and med him shamelessly, ¡°Who said that? Was it you, Ian? How could you doubt Dr. Camille like that?


    She helps the dying and heals the injured. She¡¯s a veritable angel in white, a miraculous healer! How could she do something as despicable as messing with our food? Even suspecting her is profane, alright?¡±


    Ian finished thest drop of soup in his bowl and wiped his mouth,pletely ignoring Billy.


    Amber, on the other hand, was quite impressed. ¡°You¡¯re very difficult to deal with.¡±


    Billy sped his hands together modestly.


    ¡°I¡¯m just a normal person.¡±


    Amber was amused enough by his expression to startughing. She dropped the topic, turned to Ian, and asked, ¡°Did you reallye find me for no reason?¡±


    Ian was already starting to stack up his dirty tes. He couldn¡¯t bear even a bit of messiness on the table. When he heard her question, he coolly replied, ¡°He wanted to call you over and y mah jjong with us.¡± His slender fingers pointed at Billy.


    Amber made an ¡°Oh¡± sound, and then said, ¡°Sorry, I can¡¯t go. I have a meeting at the hospital at 7:30.¡±


    Ian grunted, not saying anything else.


    Billy speared a steamed dumpling with his fork, and then looked askance at Ian. ¡°No? Just like that?¡±


    ¡®Tonight, Ansell and the others had raised the stakes. If they managed to bring Amber over, then just based on her luck alone, they¡¯d probably win a full casket¡¯s worth of money, right?¡¯


    But Ian was going to leave her here just because of some meeting?


    Ian thought for a moment before saying, ¡°Let¡¯s have some tea.¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡± Billy couldn¡¯t even think of a response.


    Ian had already moved on. ¡°Do you have any?¡±


    His tone didn¡¯t seem to have changed, but Amber could hear a bit of impatience in its undertones. He was really saying, ¡°Don¡¯t you know how to do anything? I even had to speak up and ask.¡±


    She found it somewhat funny, so she really did get up to brew tea for the two of them. Fortunately, she had a couple satchels of high quality tea leaves that some friends and patients had gifted her, as well as a very nice tea set. It was another patient¡¯s gift, the ze the color of the sky after a heavy rain. Because she rarely drank tea, she had always treated it as a piece of art to be disyed on her cab.


    She hadn¡¯t nned on using it for this asion, but Billy spotted it instantly, knocking his fork together and pointing at that tea set as he said, ¡°Use that tea set, it¡¯s good!¡±


    He had surprisingly good eyes, but Amber didn¡¯t mind. She put the set in her hands down and went for the one Billy pointed out.


    Ian nced at it, but when his eyesnded on it, his body immediately stilled. Touching the exquisite tea set, Amber¡¯s slender and white fingers looked staggeringly beautiful, like a ray of light shining through the grey fog and haze against the blue backdrop of a saturated sky after a spring rain.


    Ian immediately recalled the visceral feel of that hand; it was warm, exquisite, and just like a piece of top quality jade, it even left a calming scent afterwards.


    Without any warning, he ¡­ got an erection.

 Chapter 67. BIG REACTION

    Ian got up almost immediately, and then walked out of the room without turning back.


    Billy and Amber were both somewhat startled. The two looked at each other, and then the former quickly ran out after him.


    Amber was slower than both of them, and by the time she put the tea set down and rushed out, they had already gotten into the elevator. As the doors closed, the only thing she glimpsed was Ian¡¯s expression, calm as water, his eyes like two cold stars.


    He was exuding an unusually cold atmosphere. Ever since Billy had met him, he¡¯d only been like this once before, when someone had thrown a woman onto his bed.


    It was so ominous that it felt as if misfortune was about to strike. Billy felt a sudden exhration. He believed, with unusual self confidence, that the unfortunate person wasn¡¯t himself.


    But when Ian¡¯s feelings became particrly intense, anyone nearby could be implicated. Billy didn¡¯t want to be that person, so he hugged his chest with both hands and made a pitiful trembling motion. ¡°So cold, so cold!¡±


    He curled up into a corner of the elevator, looked at Ian, and with a cautious tone, asked, ¡°What made you so angry all of a sudden? It wasn¡¯t me, was it?¡±


    Ian nced at him indifferently.


    Billy patted his chest in relief. ¡°Thank goodness it¡¯s not me.¡± He guessed again. ¡°Then was it Dr. Camille  who made you mad? Gosh, I¡¯m not happy either. My stomach started hurting right after I ate her food. Ouch, it really hurts-¡±


    He wasn¡¯t exaggerating when he said this, because his stomach really was hurting, the food was simply so tasty that he had overeaten!


    Billy moaned as he clutched at the elevator wall. But this time, Ian didn¡¯t even spare him a nce. Once the elevator stopped and opened its doors, he took the lead and walked out without a look behind him.


    Billy followed him out in a rush, and sessfully climbed into the driver¡¯s seat before Ian. When he was unhappy, you definitely couldn¡¯t let him drive. This was a lesson that Billy had learned after an uncountable number of bloody tears.


    Luckily, Ian didn¡¯t fight for it, and casually sat down in the backseat. After he entered the car, his head drooped down, and he looked at the two hands on his knees.


    Billy asked, ¡°Where to?¡±


    ¡°The Mei manor.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Ah, The Mei manor?¡± The manor was where they had agreed to meet Ansell. Ian had been disinterested in the whole affair, and it was only when Billy had pleaded with him relentlessly that he had finally exited his house.


    This time, when Billy heard Ian directly ask to go of his own ord, Billy was really very surprised.


    But Ian didn¡¯t seem to want to give him an exnation. He kept staring at his hands, his expression a profound mystery.


    Billy was afraid that Ian might suddenly have an outburst during the drive, so he didn¡¯t dare to provoke him any further, and drove around honestly. In his heart he was thinking, ¡®What on Earth happened to this guy? He got mad at the drop of a needle. He was clearly fine before, even when he saw that man lying on Amberi¡¯s couch, and he was even acting coyly with Dr. Camille right before that.¡¯


    That¡¯s right, the tone that Ian had used to tell Amber he was hungry, was totally just him acting coyly.


    And even after they had finished eating, the man on the sofa was still just lying there motionless. Since Ian hadn¡¯t paid any special attention to him even when he was hungry, he surely wouldn¡¯t after he was full and satiated.


    And, as for Billy himself, he had just been sitting there, waiting for tea, so it couldn¡¯t have been him either.


    Out of the three of them, after eliminating two parties from the list of possible offenders, it could therefore only have been Dr. Camille. What was she doing then? Taking out the tea set. After she touched the tea set, Ian had suddenly left without saying a word.


    Could it be that the tea set had been given to her by that guy?


    Billy immediately thought that he had stumbled upon the truth, and his pity for Boss Axton deepened infinitely. His reactions seemed to be a bit strange, he didn¡¯t care at all upon seeing a stranger sleep there, but when he saw a gift that he had given Amber, his reaction had been so extreme!N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    Billy was still wallowing in his self delusions when he suddenly heard someone ask from behind, ¡°Billy, was your love with Carol one sided?¡±


    Billy was so surprised by the question that the car swerved in a huge S-shape. Luckily for them, there weren¡¯t any cars on the road just then, or he¡¯d have caused a big ident.


    Billy quickly pulled over by the roadside, turned around, and fiercely yelled, ¡°F*ck, who would love that wench one sidedly! Can you not speak of trash like that?¡±


    Ian stared back at him calmly, asking, ¡°What does it feel like to have that kind of rtionship with someone?¡±


    Billy stared at him, his face looking like it was about to burst like a balloon, but then his anger deted in a quick puff. He took out a cigarette, gave one to Ian as well, lit both of them, took a few deep puffs, leaned against the car seat, and finally said with a somewhat sore tone, ¡°It¡¯s a terrible feeling, and you want to just forget about it. However, you won¡¯t ever be able to let it go, because aside from her, you¡¯ll never find another woman who can enter your gaze.¡±


    After hearing his words, Ian fell silent again, as if he were thinking hard about something.


    Billy nced at him superciliously, and then maliciously said, ¡°What, have you finally felt the taste of unrequited love after being dumped?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not at that point yet.¡± Ian thought about it for a moment, and then replied, particrly truthful, ¡°But I do very much want to have sex with her.¡±


    Billy choked on his own cigarette, to the point that tears were streaming down his face. He pointed at him in disbelief. ¡°You ¡­.¡±

 Chapter 68. NO SUCH THING AS AN INSEPARABLE RELATIONSHIP

    ¡°You ¡­.¡±


    Ian looked at him curiously.


    Billy finally stopped coughing and wiped the tears from his eyes.


    ¡°You walked away so suddenly. Could it be that ¡­.¡± He mbered onto the back of the seat, paying special attention to a part of Ian¡¯s body, and then was speechless for a period of time. ¡°F*ck, do you have to be so exaggerated?¡±


    Billy could understand his physical reaction when someone was wearing something sexy or making overly flirtatious moves, but Amber had been dressed very conservatively. Her clothes were both in and thick, and her actions were in and modest. What on Earth was Ian reacting to?


    ¡°You¡¯re not built like other people, are you?¡± Billy couldn¡¯t help but roast him a little.


    Ian ignored his jab, looking through the car window with dull eyes.


    He was indeed different from others. If he wanted something and didn¡¯t get it, he would easily be irritable. As a result, he had never repressed himself, and this was the first time that he had done so.


    It was a very unfamiliar sensation, so unfamiliar that he almost didn¡¯t know what to do.


    Sensing his unusual loss for what to do, Billy chuckled, motioned with his jaw towards Ian¡¯s bulge, and then asked, ¡°Do you need me to find someone for you?¡±


    Ian turned his head around and looked him in the eye, giving Billy a warning nce to stop saying any more nonsense. But after they had gotten back on the road for a while, Billy couldn¡¯t help but ask out of curiosity, ¡°So, Ian ¡­ did you really break up with Dr. Camille?¡±


    The headlights of a car gleamed from afar, flickering in Ian¡¯s gaze. The light was so white it was blinding, making him think of Amber¡¯s fingers again. They were so white and slender, like a me burning in the depths of his heart.


    He calmly corrected Billy. ¡°Not a breakup, but the end of our rtionship.¡±


    ¡°How is that any different?¡± Billy didn¡¯t understand Ian¡¯s words at all. ¡°Given that you¡¯re acting like this, how can you be willing to let her be together with that man?¡± That¡¯s right-he was certain that Amber and Calvin had gotten together. Even though he did eat her food, it was only because Ian didn¡¯t mind; if Ian had minded, then he would have immediately vomited all of it back out even after eating it all.


    That¡¯s right, Billy was this shameless of a man!


    Upon hearing this, Ian smiled coolly. ¡®There was no such thing as an inseparable rtionship.¡¯


    ***


    As Billy and Ian were discussing Amber, Amber was also thinking about them.


    The expression that Ian had made when he left made her feel a certain sense of unease, so she had tried calling him, but it went unanswered. So she had sent a text message, but that too was unread. Despite being a good psychiatrist, Amber didn¡¯t know why Ian had suddenly up and left like that.


    As she pondered the situation more, but still failed to understand why, Amber eventually gave up, turning around to clear the table. By the time she was done, it was almost time for her meeting at the hospital. Calvin was still not awake, so she left him a note and left her apartment.


    By the time the meeting was over, it was nearly ten, and a few unread text messages had built up in her phone. Most of them were from her parents, who probably hadn¡¯t yet gotten over what they had seen earlier. Her mother had warned her that she had to make a clean break with that dolt from before, that their family wouldn¡¯t allow such a man as their son inw.


    Meanwhile, her father gently tried to persuade her, saying that she¡¯d always been obedient and that he hoped she would think this matter through carefully without making her parents worry.


    Essentially, their meaning was: be dignified, have some self respect, and, most importantly, choose your boyfriend carefully!


    Every time Amber heard her mom say that Ian was a dolt, she wanted tough. She believed that, if he had a choice, Ian definitely wouldn¡¯t have met her parents without dressing properly. However, it was also true that he¡¯d rather dress improperly than be dirty.


    And now that they¡¯d already seen his entire body, then ¡­ they wouldn¡¯t bother her about it in the future, right?


    But even if she exined all this to her mother, she wouldn¡¯t have listened. So, Amber decided not to say anything at all, only replying sincerely, ¡°Alright, I know.¡±


    But her parents seemed to be worried that they hadn¡¯t pressured her enough, so they even called Ruby, and she had a whole bunch of missed calls on her phone from him.


    Amber called him back and he immediately asked, ¡°Just how did you provoke Momst night? Why did she insist that I call you and persuade you right away? While growing up, wasn¡¯t I the only one treated like this? When did you steal that away from me?¡±


    Ruby teased her ruthlessly.


    ¡°It¡¯s a misunderstanding. Nothing happened.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Then you and that, that Ian Axton ¡­ are you two broken up now?¡±


    He actually knew Ian¡¯s name, which surprised Amber immensely. ¡°You know him?¡±


    ¡°Eh ¡­ he said it himselfst time.¡± Ruby then said fiercely, ¡°Don¡¯t change the topic. I still have to teach you the importance of choosing a proper boyfriend.¡±


    But then he chuckled, and said in a rxed tone, ¡°But if you really did marry him, it wouldn¡¯t be that bad either. You¡¯d be a rich youngdy from a wealthy family, and then I¡¯d get to use your connections.¡±


    Their conversation had devolved into meaningless drivel, and, with Amber just having received another call, she hung up.


    When the call was over, Amber saw another message on her phone. Surprisingly, it was from Ian. She thought that he was going to exin to her why he had left hurriedly, but when she opened it, it turned out to merely be, ¡°I want to hear you tell me a story.¡±N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    This wasn¡¯t a difficult request, but what surprised her was his tone, very calm and without the sudden coldness that had apanied his departure in the afternoon.


    Of course, he wasn¡¯t dispirited or sad either; this request felt like he purely wanted to listen to a story from her.

 Chapter 69. IMPRESSED

    So Amber told him a story on the spot via voice message. It was a little story about amb and its friends. After themb encountered some danger, its usual friends ran away, and only a little dog hade to help it. Afterwards, those friends who had fled med themb for not telling them that she had been in danger, and only then did the small dog silently leave.


    Once upon a time, this story had been an exam question for Amber, and even now, she had a strong impression of it. She also felt that it was an appropriate story for Ian-its motto was that friends didn¡¯t need to stay together all the time; it was sufficient for them to stand up when you were in times of need.


    Just like her. She didn¡¯t need to be his partner, but she was willing to be someone who would sincerely help him.


    After she sent the story over, Ian didn¡¯t reply, and she didn¡¯t ask him to. Having visited Elly¡¯s ward again out of habit, she returned home.


    By then, Calvin had woken up. He didn¡¯t leave, only tidying himself up and sitting back down on the sofa. When Amber entered, his expression was dark and gloomy, his gaze deep.


    Amber didn¡¯t seem to have noticed his unusual behavior, normally walking over and putting her bag down. ¡°You¡¯re finally awake! Do you feel alright? I left you some porridge in the kitchen. Did you eat it?¡±


    Her tone was warm and calm. It reflected the perfect amount of concern, and would make anyone rx and feel veryfortable.


    Calvin eased up and replied, ¡°Yes, I ate it. It was very tasty.¡± Hisplexion wasn¡¯t too good, his voice was hoarse and rough, and his gaze probed her carefully. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I seem to have troubled you.¡¯


    ¡°No.¡± Amber smiled, poured him a ss of warm water, and then sat down opposite him. ¡°I¡¯ve always thought that being able to vent your feelings when you¡¯re bothered is a very healthy means of coping. Have a ss of water, your voice is really hoarse.¡±


    Calvin thanked her again, took the ss, and drained it all in one gulp before drooping his head back down. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I should havee here earlier, but at that time, I didn¡¯t have the courage to face you, so I turned to alcohol to give me more courage. But, unfortunately, I drank too much.¡±


    After having tempered himself alone overseas for so many years, his attitude was much more frank than before. On the other hand, Amber felt that this Calvin had lost some of the cuteness he had had in his youth.


    She exined her thoughts frankly. Calvin was somewhat at a loss for words, and his first reaction was tough bitterly.


    ¡°If hiding would have prevented all that from happening, then I wish I had hid.¡± He rubbed his face. ¡°My mom. She ¡­ didn¡¯t say anything overbearing, did she?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± He lowered his head, his thumb anxiously pressing down on his palm. One could see that he still hadn¡¯t calmed down inside, but he still said, ¡°Thanks for telling me this beforehand. I was too shocked back then and didn¡¯t dare believe it. But if there¡¯s anything that you need me to do, I¡¯ll do my best to help.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I won¡¯t be modest then.¡± Amber smiled slightly. She actually could understand Calvin¡¯s indecision, anger, and loathing. If Calvin¡¯s mother and the drunken Calvin¡¯s words were both true, then the traumatic experience that they had suffered at Mark¡¯s hands was more than sufficient to traumatize them for their entire lives. Just like his mother, perhaps what was most triggering to him was not Elly or this incident itself, but rather that nightmarish period in the past.


    Those who hadn¡¯t experienced something simr for themselves could never understand how painful it had been.


    She tried to change the topic to something more rxing. ¡°Would you like me to tell you about her?¡± After receiving his assent, she proceeded. ¡°She draws very well. Do you want to see?¡±


    Calvin actually didn¡¯t have much interest in it, but after seeing her hopeful expression, he nodded.


    Amber opened her phone and showed him the many drawings of Elly that she had taken pictures of. Calvin originally just nced at them, but as he looked, he couldn¡¯t help but be entranced and take the phone.


    ¡°¡­ She drew all this?¡±


    ¡°Yes. She doesn¡¯t talk to anyone, but she really likes to draw. I heard that she never took any lessons, but look at this piece, and that one. Doesn¡¯t she have tremendous talent?¡±


    Calvin nodded. Even though he had studied the sciences, he still appreciated art and had even been a model at an art gallery when he was overseas, so he understood a bit of art.


    Even though Elly¡¯s drawings were dark and gloomy, and her skills were quite inexperienced, her lines all flowed naturally to one another, and the feeling at the tip of her instruments seemed to explode from those lines, leading to a particrly eye catching result.


    This was no longer just mere talent, she could almost be considered a genius.


    Amber finished looking at all of Elly¡¯s artwork with him. These pieces of art, which seemed like the horrifying truth in Mark¡¯s eyes, had instead led to a heartfelt resonance in Calvin.


    It was because he had experienced these dark and terrifying experiences himself as well.


    After he finished looking at all the drawings in Amber¡¯s phone, Calvin¡¯s feelings had returned to normal. This time, he said very seriously, ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll take good care of her. As for my mother ¡­ I¡¯ll persuade her somehow. No matter what, she¡¯s still my sister.¡±


    This time, he spoke much more firmly.


    Amber gazed at him. ¡°I know that this must be somewhat surprising for you, and I¡¯m very happy that you¡¯re responding in this manner. I¡¯ll try my best to help her improve, at least to the point where she can live on her own, so that she won¡¯t be a burden to anyone. In the early stages, however, you guys might have to invest more effort on her, because mental illnesses are unlike regr bodily ones.


    For this sort of illness, besides medication, what¡¯s most important is familiarpany and familial love. Curing such illnesses is a long and arduous process; I might be able to get her well enough to be released from the hospital, but I can¡¯t promise that she won¡¯t rpse in the future. At this time, she needs friends, and particrly family.¡±


    ¡°I know. It¡¯s just that I was unable to ept it at the beginning. Don¡¯t worry, I know what to do. She¡¯s only fourteen, and her life is full of untapped potential. I will also do my best to help her.¡±


    Amber smiled upon hearing Calvin¡¯s deration, her gaze as bright and clear as the pear blossoms blooming in April, her expression was pure white and radiant.


    She stood very close to him, no longer like the person of his dreams who stood far away. Even though she knew of his private matters, no disdainfulness or hint of teasing showed on her face, and no pity either. She simply looked at him, with just her honest feelings, with a warm and gentle smile. Her sole presence made others feel content for no other reason at all.N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    He wanted to stay by her side, for the rest of time.

 Chapter 70. I LOVE YOU

    Calvin remembered vaguely hearing in his alcohol fuelled haze that she had said that she had broken up with Ian. Now sober, he was afraid that he had possibly misheard, so he wanted to verify it, and spoke up. ¡°Hey.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± She replied with a lilt in her wonderfully pleasant voice as she looked at him seriously.


    But before he could ask, her phone suddenly rang. She turned around to look for her phone, saying, ¡°It could be from the hospital.¡±


    In reality, it wasn¡¯t from the hospital, but instead a call to find him. Calvin could tell because he heard her answer, ¡°Yes, he¡¯s with me ¡­ alright, I¡¯ll tell him to return immediately.¡±


    It seemed that the person on the phone with her said something else, because she began looking a little exasperated.


    After hanging up, she told him, ¡°It was from Trysta. She said that your phone was off and that your mother was very worried about you.¡± As she said this, she stood up. ¡°Come on, you need to go back home. I¡¯ll walk down with you.¡±


    She walked him down outside the residential area. Once they reached the lobby, Calvin began regretting it. Given how cold it was outside, he shouldn¡¯t have let here out with him. But he didn¡¯t want to part with her, and he¡¯d take advantage of anything just to stay with her a moment longer.


    As the wind blew wildly, her cute little nose reddened immediately and her face turned as white as snow.


    Calvin felt his heart ze with an uncontroble heat of passion.


    ¡°It should be that car.¡± She stood by the side of the road, looking into the distance.


    His gaze, on the other hand, was focused solely on her. When the headlights got closer, he suddenly spread out both hands and hugged her tightly.


    She was somewhat surprised and turned her head to look at him.


    He ignored her reluctance, moved his face closer to her, and lightly kissed her cheek as he softly whispered, ¡°I love you, Amber.¡± into her ear.


    This was the first time that Calvin had ever done something as bold as this, so he was understandably nervous. In his nervousness, he quickly let go of her and ran into his car after the single kiss.


    He was so fast that Amber couldn¡¯t even react before the car had already left, far away.


    ¡°¡­.¡± Amber was speechless. She hadn¡¯t seen Calvin that embarrassed for many years.


    Amber couldn¡¯t help butugh at the situation before putting both of her hands in her pockets and preparing to walk back inside. As she was turning around, she found herself looking at a car parked by the side of the building. It was ck and hidden in the dark, just like a monstrous shadow.


    When she looked at it a bit more closely, the headlights of the car suddenly turned on, and the strong, bright light shining directly into her face almost blinded her.


    Even without seeing who was driving the car, she could feel the driver¡¯s malicious intent. She quickly covered up her eyes, frowned, and prepared to leave.


    At this time, there weren¡¯t many cars and pedestrians on the road, and Amber didn¡¯t want an ident to ur either.


    But just she started to step away, a piercing honking sound shattered the quiet night air right next to her ear-tin, tin, tin, tiin-a conspicuous disturbance in the dark and silent night.


    When she turned and looked back more closely, she saw the car¡¯s interior light up and then blink. Amber found that a familiar face was actually sitting in the driver¡¯s seat.


    ¡®Ian?¡¯


    ¡®Why was he here thiste?¡¯


    After mulling over it for a moment, Amber slowly walked up to him. The car window slowly rolled down. Ian was alone in the car, sitting in the driver¡¯s seat, with both hands sped on the steering wheel. As his fingers tapped on it rhythmically, his gaze nomittally looked at her.


    ¡°Eh, why are you here? Did somethinge up?¡±


    ¡°Get on.¡±


    ¡°Where to?¡±


    He tilted his head, his gaze still on her face. He said nothing and merely pressed the middle of the steering wheel again, causing the deafening noise to re out again.


    It sounded as impatient as his mood.


    Amber quickly got into the car.


    She wasn¡¯t worried that Ian would do something to her. Even though his personality was cold, she felt inexplicably like she could trust him with her safety.


    ***


    Ian ended up bringing her to Axton Hotel, immediately throwing her inside a beauty parlor. The female proprietor had already closed up shop for the day, but he called someone to get her over, pointed at Amber, and then said, ¡°Clean her face.¡±


    Both Amber and the salon owner, who had rushed over hurriedly, were somewhat speechless, looking at each other out of shared confusion. Amber was the first to say, ¡°Sorry to bother you.¡±


    The salon owner coughed and replied, ¡°It¡¯s not a problem.¡±


    Then she took out some appliances and creams and indeed began washing her face as Ian waited in the lobby. Ambery on the bed, feeling the owner¡¯s soft fingersfortably pinching and kneading her face. Not longter, the salon owner took out arge set of tools. ¡°Are the two of you having a big event tomorrow, to clean your face thiste?¡±


    Amber¡¯s face was dripping as she pondered Ian¡¯s intentions. When she heard the salon owner¡¯s question, she casually asked back, ¡°What big event?¡±


    Thedy owner smiled. ¡°Getting married, of course.¡± She put a facial mask on Amber, and her voice now sounded somewhat indistinct. ¡°When I went out just now, Mr. Axton even told me specifically to do the deepest cleansing possible, I said that our deepest cleaning is generally for new brides right before they put their bridal makeup on, and he said to do that one. The two of you are getting married, aren¡¯t you?¡±N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    She immediately remembered Calvin kissing her.


    Ian ¡­ couldn¡¯t possibly be doing this because of that, could he?

 Chapter 71. WASH CLEANLY

    She very much wanted to rub her forehead, a sense of terror overwhelming her. But she controlled herself, smiled vaguely, and said, ¡°Don¡¯t joke around. How could that be possible?¡±


    Thedy owner likely also thought that the probability of them getting married was very low, and when she saw that Amber didn¡¯t want to keep talking about it any further, she immediately dropped the topic and concentrated on washing Amber¡¯s face.


    The facial wash was very intricate but unexpectedlyfortable. Amber didn¡¯t feel particrly tired before the wash, but afterwards, she couldn¡¯t help but yawncently.


    Thedy owner supported her face as she said, ¡°This is going to take some time. Why don¡¯t you sleep first? I¡¯ll wake you up when we¡¯re done.¡±


    Amber didn¡¯t want to sleep, but she still ended up dozing off during thefortable massage.


    When Amber woke up, she was still in the beauty salon, on the bed where she had had her face washedst night. The salon owner was sleeping next to her, and her clothes were to the side. What had woken Amber up was her phone, vibrating right next to her ear.


    She sat up straight and took her phone out from her pocket. After looking at the soundly sleeping owner, Amber put on her shoes and walked out quietly. There was no one outside, not even Ian. She answered the call. ¡°Hello, Trysta?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re awake?¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    ¡°What happened to youst night? I sent you so many text messages but you never responded.¡±


    ¡°Really? Let me see.¡± Amber inspected her phone for a moment and indeed found arge number of messages from Trysta. After casually ncing at them, she found that they were essentially variations of two questions, ¡®Did you dump Ian Axton?¡¯ and ¡®Are you together with Calvin now?¡¯


    Clearly, Trysta was desperate for an answer.


    Amber sighed. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize that you liked gossip this much in the past.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m bored because I had to wake up early to catch a flight.¡±


    ¡°Where are you going this early?¡±


    ¡°The capital ¡­ don¡¯t try to change the topic. Answer me honestly, are you together with Calvin now?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe you! You¡¯re saying that even though you were with him thatte at night yesterday?¡±


    ¡°If I said that I had a reason, would you even believe me?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t believe others, but if it¡¯s you, then probably, yeah. But really, I have to remind you. If you don¡¯t n on entering into a romantic rtionship with Calvin, then you shouldn¡¯t act so intimately with him.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± Amber was somewhat surprised by Trysta¡¯sment. ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°Because he clearly likes you. Didn¡¯t I mention that I was going to introduce my friend to himst time? However, his reaction was to tell me that he first developed feelings for you in high school, and that he¡¯d continue to wait for you. Ah, his feelings for you are really deep. If not for the fact that you already have Ian, even I would say that the two of you are reallypatible.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Just when did I get Ian?¡±


    ¡°Hm? Isn¡¯t it true? Everyone¡¯s saying that the two of you have met each other¡¯s parents and are even living together now. Are they wrong?¡±


    ¡°Ev- everyone?¡± Amber was dumbstruck, so much so that she started to stutter.


    ¡°Yes. My Frank saw it back in Axton Hotel too. Hehe, don¡¯t try to hide it from me. You know how fussy Ian is? Everyone who has met him knows it. My Frank told me that he has a room at the Axton hotel that even Billy and his other longtime friends can¡¯t enter. However, that day, he saw Ian bring you inside.


    Oh, Amber, you¡¯re really lucky to receive the love of two male idols. Oh, my youthful heart. I shouldn¡¯t have married this early. Otherwise, I could have lived a life like yours!¡±


    Amber was speechless. She¡¯d only been to Axton Hotel two or three times, and only inside Ian¡¯s room twice. But Frank had somehow seen her during one of these times, just how lucky was she?


    And as she thought about this, she suddenly became mystified. She used to believe that Ian didn¡¯t feel that way towards her. To her, his actions of resisting her but getting close to her were a sign of the inherent contradiction in his heart, he wanted to be treated, but didn¡¯t want to acknowledge that he was ill.


    Forcing her to sign a contract and be his girlfriend was, in Amber¡¯s eyes, just a pretense for his mental dilemma. The reason why she had been so honest with him was because she was trying to break down his mental wall, and it wasn¡¯t in any way to give Ian the impression that she was truly his girlfriend.


    Was she toote? It was the first time that she had felt uncertain about her judgment. She hesitated for a moment and then asked Trysta, ¡°If a man saw someone else kiss your face and then brought you to have your face washed, then ¡­ what does that mean?¡±


    It took Trysta only a little while to understand. ¡°Hahaha, is ¡®that man¡¯ Ian? He saw Calvin kiss you and then he took you to get your face washed? Hahaha, how cute!¡±


    A hand suddenly leaned over and took her phone away. Amber turned around, greatly shocked, only to see that Ian was standing right behind her.


    Looking down, he hung up on Trysta and, as he returned the phone to her, said, ¡°You could always just ask me.¡±N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    After saying his words, Ian looked at her expectantly, his expression as if he was waiting for her to ask a question.


    Amber also felt that it would be better to rify things. Asking a clear question and receiving a clear answer couldn¡¯t possibly lead to a misunderstanding.


    But as she prepared to ask her question, he shifted his gaze to the rest of her body. ¡°You should clean yourself first.¡± He then frowned, looked behind her, and said, ¡°Don¡¯t you females usually clean yourselves up first thing in the morning?¡±


    Amber turned around and saw the beauty salon¡¯s owner rub her eyes as she woke up. Upon hearing Ian¡¯s pointed remark, the bleary sleepiness instantly disappeared from her face, and the two of them both looked at the only male in the room, only to see that that man was wearing a simple white shirt and ck pants.


    His shirt was perfectly uncreased, neat and tidy. Ian was originally quite handsome, and his attire only served to entuate his features further-the white-d youth was so handsome that he seemed like a juicy fruit, emanating a tempting aura.

 Chapter 72. OVERTHINKING

    Amber and the salon owner then looked at each other, and noticed their own state of disarray in the other¡¯s eyes. After sleeping for the entire night, their clothes were now wrinkled, their hair messy, and,pared to this Mr. Axton, they looked just like dried prunes, their clothes so shriveled that they made one feel sad just from looking at them.


    Neither of the two spoke, after silently looking at each other onest time, they quickly went inside the washroom specially prepared for customers.


    ***


    The washroom wasrge and spacious. As they stared at their current somewhat disastrous state through the mirror, the two startedughing.


    Thisugh closed the previous distance between the two. The salon owner was somewhat distressed, and said, ¡°Director Axton is quite particr, isn¡¯t he.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Thedy boss sighed regretfully. ¡°I still remember the first time I met him, in his office. I told him that I wanted to open a beauty salon in Axton hotel, and he looked at me out of the corner of his eye with a particrly disdainful look. Then he said, ¡®Isn¡¯t the role of a beauty salon to make people beautiful? You clearly haven¡¯t been able to apply that to yourself, but you¡¯re going to try to do it to others?¡¯ My goodness. Even after all this time, I still don¡¯t dare to walk in front of him after thatment from him.¡±


    Her humorous storytelling made Amberugh. ¡°Actually, I¡¯m in the same boat as you. The first time I met him, he asked me, ¡®Do you only have one dimple? Unbelievably ugly''¡±¡±


    The two finished roasting him and thenughed together again. The salon owner then said, ¡°So even you receive such treatment? I thought that he would treat at least you differently.¡±


    Amber¡¯s smile shrunk slightly. ¡°How different can it be? We¡¯re all the same.¡±


    ¡°No, definitely not. At least in all my time in Axton hotel, I¡¯ve never seen any other woman appear by Director Axton¡¯s side, and that¡¯s not even mentioning him bringing someone for me to wash her face. Though ¡­.¡± As the salon owner started her next sentence, she peeked outside cautiously, lowered her voice, and then continued in a whisper. ¡°Did you do something to make him angry? After you fell asleepst night, he stood to one side and observed you for such a long time that, honestly, judging from his expression, I thought that he was going to pinch you awake. But then ¡­.¡±


    She originally wanted to say ¡°throw you out,¡± but after considering that Amber might be upset with her words, she pivoted and instead said, ¡°¡­ and then he told me to let you sleep and to not disturb you. As he said this, he was even gnashing his teeth, clearly upset that you had left him to sleep alone. It was the first time I¡¯ve ever seen that expression on his face-actually, he was both awkward and cute at the same time! Haha, remember to pamper him a little when you see him. He doesn¡¯t have a good temper, but I feel like he really does treat you well.¡±


    Amber had heard two people call Ian cute in the morning, and suddenly felt slightly dissociated, almost as if she were living in some strange fantasy. From the salon owner¡¯s word choice of ¡°gnashing his teeth¡± and ¡°concerned,¡± it seemed that she must have been projecting her own impressions onto Ian. Given that man¡¯s cold and nearly stone face, how could she have seen him gnash his teeth or be concerned?


    And she had also clearly misunderstood the rtionship between them, making Amber somewhat embarrassed. ¡°I¡¯m not in that rtionship with Mr. Axton. We¡¯re just regr friends.¡±


    ¡°I get it, I get it.¡± Thedy boss smiled as she replied half heartedly.


    In the end, Amber was unable to clearly exin the rtionship between her and Ian. In truth, she herself had realized that since she wasn¡¯t able to explicitly state their doctor-patient rtionship, some of their actions were truly inexplicable.


    For example, the ¡°interest¡± she showed towards Ian, the attention she paid him, her unbelievable forbearance, and so on and so forth.


    As Amber reflected on her and Ian¡¯s rtionship, she felt more and more certain that she should exin things to Ian again. However, when the two of them returned to his room, and when Amber asked him why he had brought her here to have her face washed, he looked at her, and replied in a shocked tone. ¡°Don¡¯t you feel dirty? His saliva was all over your face!¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡± Amber was once again rendered speechless by his logic.


    She looked at him with a somewhat weak expression, feeling that it was necessary to exin these basic things to him. ¡°Hugging and kissing are both actions used to express intimacy-¡±


    But before she could finish, he cut her off coldly. ¡°But I find it dirty, very dirty.¡± Having said that, he looked at her provocatively.


    Amber caressed her forehead. ¡°But you¡¯ve kissed me too ¡­.¡±


    ¡°I washed myself afterwards, about seventeen or eighteen times each time.¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    Amber red at him, and then after taking a while to gather her thoughts, squeezed out, ¡°Then you must have felt quite wronged.¡±


    And Ian even responded affirmatively, seriously nodding as he said, ¡°Yup!¡±


    Amber clutched her chest. She had truly been overthinking it when she was worried that he would misunderstand, hadn¡¯t she? She decided to ignore this topic, and instead ask, ¡°You ¡­ came backst night to find me, didn¡¯t you? What¡¯s the matter?¡±N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    He didn¡¯t speak, and instead gave her a recording device.


    ¡°This is?¡±


    ¡°Tell me a story.¡±


    Amber looked at him strangely. Since this man wasn¡¯t interested in her body, could it be possible that he was infatuated with her voice?


    She really should have stopped overthinking it because, as if he had read her thoughts, Ian raised his eyebrows and said, ¡°Your stories are boring enough that they¡¯re the best luby.¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    Curses immediately sprung up in Amber¡¯s mind. While she still had a smile on externally, her internal emotions were raging tumultuously. ¡®Did he have to attack her so savagely? She¡¯d always thought that her own stories were rather good!¡¯

 Chapter 73. HELPING HIM

    That weekend, Amber took a break. The first day, she spent waiting for Calvin and his mother, and the second, she dedicated to Ian.


    In his hotel, she recorded a full day¡¯s worth of stories for him. Amber put all of the stories she knew into the recording device, but when Ian saw that it still wasn¡¯t full, he wanted her to add more.


    In the end, Amber had to take out a collection of Shakespearean ys from his bookshelf. It was even in the original Elizabethan English, so most of the words were antiquated and unfamiliar to her. But since it was just to help Ian sleep, it didn¡¯t really matter.


    Ian didn¡¯t do anything else that whole day. He just sat by her side and listened to her record the stories. asionally, he would get on his phone to handle some business, but he spent most of the time asleep. By the time he woke up, Amber had already gotten to Shakespeare¡¯s So XVIII.


    ¡°Shall Ipare thee to a summer¡¯s day? Thee art more lovely and more temperate.¡±


    He suddenly woke up and said, ¡°¡±Thou.''¡±


    She was surprised, and raised her head to look at him. After her facial wash fromst night, her skin was more radiant than ever. A slight flush of red peeked out from her porcin-white skin, only serving to further emphasize her beauty. Her clear eyes were reminiscent of the sky after a heavy rain, pure enough to drown one¡¯s heart in longing.


    As his heart began to itch again, Ian closed his eyes.


    ¡°What did you say just now?¡±


    He didn¡¯t want to answer, but his brain unconsciously repeated the words she had been reciting. ¡®Shall Ipare thee to a summer¡¯s day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate.¡¯


    She had mispronounced a word, reading ¡°thou¡± as ¡°thee.¡± He was very picky by nature, not being able to tolerate even the slightest mistake or error. But while she had been reciting Shakespeare, despite her countless mistakes, he didn¡¯t find them unbearable at all.


    Perhaps it was because her voice was too moving, so moving that he could neglect her mistakes.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± he heard himself say. ¡°You just disturbed my sleep, that¡¯s all.¡±


    She didn¡¯t continue speaking. Even though he didn¡¯t open his eyes, he could still imagine her speechless expression. When he felt Amber¡¯s footsteps quietly creep away, his lips curled up into a cold smile.


    As the door closed, Ian opened his eyes and stared at the recording device she had left on the table for a long while before calling Billy. ¡°You said that the Kennedy siblings wanted to chase their stepmother out of their house, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Their father¡¯s quite old now, and his mind¡¯s a little muddled. They¡¯re trying to prevent him from giving all his assets to their stepmother in his will. Honestly, their stepmother isn¡¯t innocent either. She pretended to be ill to summon her biological son back from overseas. Apparently, he graduated from a famous school, worked at a renownedpany, and is much smarter than the Kennedy siblings, there¡¯ll be exciting drama ahead, I¡¯m sure.¡± Billy¡¯s voice was filled with schadenfreude as he gossiped about the other family¡¯s affairs.


    Only when he finished did he realize that this wasn¡¯t something that Boss Axton usually deigned to partake in. He even thought that it might have been because he was nning to profit from the fight. ¡°What, you¡¯re interested in theirpanies?¡±


    ¡°Not at all.¡± Ian lowered his gaze, looking at his hands. They were currently clutching his jade teacup, which was allegedly made from a warm piece of jade. However, stone was just stone, and it emanated a coldness that annoyed him. He used an even colder tone to tell Billy, ¡°You have lots of women, so go find a girlfriend for the Kennedy¡¯s stepmother son.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean ¡®I have lots of women?!''¡± Billy started jumping around again, and when he realized what he had said, he started shouting again. ¡°When did you be a matchmaker for other people? Did the Kennedy siblings ask you for help? To use a woman to ruin their half brother?¡±


    Ian ignored him and simply said, ¡°Find a woman who has a strong background and valuable skills, someone who can¡¯t be rejected.¡±


    Billy kept yelling his grievances. ¡°You¡¯re trying to help his stepmother? Will the Kennedy siblings cry themselves to death if they knew your stance? Even though the youngest one¡¯s a bit unreliable, and did throw a woman at you.¡±


    He continued speaking long winded nonsense, but Ian didn¡¯t want to listen to him and irresponsibly threw four words at him. ¡°That¡¯ll be all.¡± And then he hung up.


    Billy was furious.


    On the other hand, Ian held his phone andughed coolly. Did Billy say that he wanted to help the Kennedy¡¯s stepmother? No, he was solely helping himself. He was helping Calvin recognize his own reality by finding him a suitable woman.


    As for him being Amber¡¯s idol? Hah!


    Amber didn¡¯t know what sort of thoughts were going through Ian¡¯s mind. Even though she was a psychiatrist, if patients weren¡¯t willing to share any information, it wasn¡¯t as if she could forcefully read their thoughts.


    Right now, she only felt that her stomach was somewhat ufortable. She had drunk too much water and eaten too much fruit earlier.


    She hadn¡¯t been ill treated while doing tasks for Ian; the tea was exquisite, the fruits were plentiful, but the result was unsatisfying. Even after how hard she¡¯d worked, he had stillined that she was bothering him and preventing him from sleeping.


    She tried hard to get close to him, but it seemed like her efforts had all been made in vain. Could it be that all herpliance and forbearance was futile?


    As Amber sat in the car, she reflected on her actions. Though she was being honest with him, it might be time to adjust her strategy.N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    But he was too indifferent towards everything, even Elly¡¯s case. After what had happenedst time, Ian¡¯s interest in her seemed to have dipped.

 Chapter 74. THE CHOICE GIRL

    Amber tried to think of something that she could have done differently. Of course, at this time, she waspletely unaware that she didn¡¯t even need to do anything more-she had already stirred up plenty of interest from him.


    The first thing Amber did when she got home was take a nice, long bath, and then immediately afterwards, she went to bed and had afortable sleep. The next day, she went to work as usual. But because her throat was slightly sore, she decided to cook some porridge for lunch. As she was staring at it, waiting for it to finish cooking, she suddenly thought, ¡®If Ian could be lulled to sleep with my stories, then couldn¡¯t I do the same with Elly?¡¯


    If she recorded some stories and yed them by Elly¡¯s ears, then even if Elly didn¡¯t listen to them, would she be more familiar with her voice? Familiarity could reduce the distance between them, and simrly, reduce the wariness in her heart.


    Inspired, she put her thoughts to action. Lowering the fire, Amber started rummaging through the house for a recording device. She remembered that she used to have one that she had used while studying, was it still functional even after so long?


    When Calvin called her, Amber had just found her old recording device. As she continued digging around for a charger, she picked up. ¡°Hello.¡±


    Calvin noticed the change in her voice, and was silent for a few seconds. ¡°You ¡­ is something up?¡±


    ¡°No. I¡¯m just looking for something.¡± She finally found it. All of her chargers had been tidied up by her mother when she had moved ces. They were all tied up with a thick piece of string, and then everything had been knotted together tightly. It was very difficult for Amber to untie everything, so she had to exert some strength, causing her voice to be slightly strained. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±


    Calvin rxed. ¡°I¡¯m just about to get food with some friends, near where you live. Do you want to join us?¡±


    She could hear him anxiously trying to maintain a calm tone, which reminded her of the sneaky kiss that he had given her before running away. Sheughed at the memory and said, ¡°Alright, I haven¡¯t eaten yet.¡±


    Calvin was very happy, and he sent the address over immediately after hanging up. It really wasn¡¯t far from her house, just a few minutes by taxi.


    Amber set the porridge on the stove to simmer, changed her clothes, and went to where Calvin had directed her. When she got out of the car, she saw Calvin standing on the second floor of the restaurant, waving at her from afar. She arrived at the entrance at about the same time as he did.


    He asked, ¡°Are you cold?¡± Amber was wrapped up tightly with a red woolen scarf that covered up half her face and made her look even smaller and more exquisite than usual.


    ¡°I¡¯m alright.¡±


    The two of them went into the building, and Calvin introduced her to his friends, all colleagues from his newpany. Only now did Amber realize that he had found a job and had started working.


    ¡°Not far from the hospital,¡± he exined to her secretly, the slight smile of his mouth particrly attractive.


    Amber couldn¡¯t help but smile back.


    All of Calvin¡¯s colleagues seemed rtively carefree and young. When they heard that she was a psychiatrist, a girl by her side even looked at her carefully before asking in a small voice, ¡°Can I add you on Whatsapp?¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡±


    Later, she found out that that girl was the niece of Calvin¡¯spany¡¯s CEO, and she had an especially pretty name, Melody.


    ***


    As Amber was enjoying lunch, Billy was sitting in Ian¡¯s office with his legs crossed jovially while acting very proud with himself. ¡°I¡¯ve found someone for you, with an absolutely perfect background and skills. She¡¯s someone whom a regr person definitely can¡¯t reject.¡±


    Ian continued to look at hisptop, indifferently asking, ¡°Who is it?¡±


    ¡°The niece of Lee¡¯s CEO, the daughter of his dead brother. His brother died saving his life, so he¡¯s given her whatever she wanted, even handing over half of thepany¡¯s shares, so she definitely has a good background. Coincidentally, the Kennedy siblings stepmother¡¯s son was just hired at Lee Corporation, so they¡¯re in quite close proximity to each other.


    ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s because the CEO is so protective of her that her temper¡¯s particrly soft, like a pure little bunny. If the Kennedy siblings¡¯ stepmother is really that ambitious, then she¡¯ll definitely like her. As a wealthy and powerful girl with an easily manipble personality, she¡¯s the perfect match for her son.¡±


    Only then did Ian be a bit interested, raising his head. ¡°What¡¯s her name?¡±


    ¡°Melody Lee.¡±


    ***


    Calvin¡¯s party with his new colleagues was quite lively; everyone was around the same age, so they all got along pretty well.


    For most of the lunch, Amber made herself inconspicuous and acted as a quiet listener. Calvin himself also didn¡¯t have much to say, but she could tell that his social skills were leaps and bounds better than before.


    asionally, he would even tell some interesting stories about what he had done abroad, but his storytelling ability was really quite poor, and his colleagues all ridiculed him yfully for it.


    ¡°Calvin, even when you talk about this, it¡¯s not as interesting as when you talk aboutputer programming. How did you ever manage tond such a beautiful doctor girlfriend with the way you are?¡±


    They all thought that Amber was his girlfriend.


    Amber didn¡¯t bother exining, and Calvin was also silent on the matter. When he heard their joke, he looked at her, smiled very sweetly, and cheesily replied, ¡°Because I have a good eye.¡±


    ¡°Peh!¡± Everyone began to heckle him and they started pushing alcohol at them. Amber was unable to decline and drank a little, but Calvin ended up drinking most of it. His alcohol tolerance wasn¡¯t bad, but his face would be red with even one drink, and his eyes would ss over, as if they had been dipped in the dew of the April peach blossoms, glossy and alluring.


    Amber didn¡¯t dare look at him. At the same time as thismotion was going on, one of Calvin¡¯s colleagues tenderly pushed some food toward a girl by Amber¡¯s side. ¡°You didn¡¯t eat anythingst night, so why don¡¯t you have some of this? I remember that you liked it a lotst time we came here.¡±


    The girl pushed the bowl aside. ¡°I don¡¯t want any.¡±N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    The male colleague didn¡¯t be deted even after the rejection, and he picked up something else with his chopsticks before asking, ¡°How about this? You have to eat something ¡­.¡±


    But before he could finish speaking, the girl shoved her bowl away forcefully. ¡°I told you, I don¡¯t want it. Can¡¯t you understand what I¡¯m saying?!¡±


    Her loud voice and furious tone made the entire party suddenly quiet down, as everyone awkwardly looked at the two of them.


    At this point, the male colleague was so embarrassed that his face had turned bright red, and the female looked somewhat vexed. She pursed her lips, didn¡¯t say anything more, got up from her seat, and then left.

 Chapter 75. [Untitled]

    As she left, she also took the convivial atmosphere of the gathering away with her. A colleague quickly addressed the situation. ¡°Hey, hey you. Quickly leave with her so that she doesn¡¯t have to go alone.¡±


    And someone else suggested, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we all just leave? We¡¯re mostly finished anyways.¡±


    And so, everyone left. Amber and Calvin followed them down, some chasing after the enraged female coworker, and the others paying the bill. When they got to the door, they found the male colleague who had enraged her defending himself, innocently saying, ¡°I just saw that she hadn¡¯t eaten and wanted to persuade her to eat something. After all, as the boss niece, she might as well be our manager. If shees out with us, then we can¡¯t let her leave hungry, can we?¡±


    Someone elseughed. ¡°You¡¯re into her, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    The male colleague tried desperately to defend himself. Seeing that Amber seemed interested in the drama, Calvin gave his own take on the situation. ¡°This guy¡¯s pretty enthusiastic and considerate of others. He¡¯s probably trying to take care of her, but also likes her at least a little.¡±N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    Amber smiled, neither nodding nor shaking her head.


    ¡°What, am I wrong?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Amber smiled again. A colleague came over just then, and the two dropped the topic.


    While Amber said goodbye to the others, she suddenly remembered that she hadn¡¯t gone out with any friends to eat for quite a while now. Even though the atmosphere at the end had been somewhat disagreeable, Amber¡¯s mood on the whole did seem to improve.


    When she mentioned this to Calvin, he smiled. ¡°Then it sounds like I should call you out more often in the future so that you don¡¯t end up bing detached from society.¡±


    So he had finally admitted that this was just a disguised date on his part. She nced at him. ¡°Alright.¡±


    Calvinughed again, his bright eyes looking straight at her. He tended to express his emotions subtly, but after living in a capitalist country for so long, he seemed to have greatly improved his ability to express his emotions with his face-like what he was doing now, even putting his natural charm to use, staring at her with eyes that felt like they were sparking with electricity.


    Amber felt that returning his stare would be too dangerous, so she instead changed the topic. ¡°Are you liking your new job?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not bad. At least so far, everyone has been pretty friendly, but I¡¯m still somewhat inexperienced with my duties. In an eight hour day, it seems like people are only really working seriously for around half that time. I was probably working too hard when I first got here, and even annoyed some people with my attitude. Because of that, I decided to treat everyone to a meal today to develop rapport with them.¡±


    Amber smiled, and was reminded of that girl who had disturbed the gathering. ¡°Is she from your department too?¡±


    ¡°Yes. She¡¯s even a major shareholder of thepany. Even though her skills are somewhat mediocre, her position is undeniably important, so everyone was somewhat worried when she left in a huff.¡± This at least exined why such a lively gathering had dispersed so casually.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you anxious?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m a newbie,¡± he responded seriously.


    Amber couldn¡¯t help butugh at his answer. ¡°Does she usually act like this?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. But I heard that her personality used to be pretty good in the past, but for some reason, she suddenly became somewhat irritable recently. Besides losing her temper easily, she¡¯s also be particrly sensitive too.¡±


    ¡°Only recently?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Hmm ¡­.¡±


    As he looked at her thoughtful face, Calvin smiled. ¡°You¡¯re not trying to diagnose her right now, are you?¡±


    ¡°Actually, I am.¡± Amberughed as well. ¡°She added me on whatsapp today. If it¡¯s possible, I might chat with her a bit.¡±


    Calvin looked at her strangely.


    ¡°What is it?¡± She blinked innocently.


    ¡°You really think something¡¯s up?¡±


    Amberforted him. ¡°It¡¯s not serious. A lot of people nowadays have some form of mental issue. It¡¯s not a problem as long as they resolve it before it bes too serious.¡±


    ¡°Then do I have anything like that?¡± he asked as he stood in front of her.


    ¡°You?¡± She looked him up and down, patted him lightly on the shoulder, and then smiled. ¡°You¡¯re such a handsome and sunny youth. There¡¯s absolutely nothing wrong with you.¡±


    As she was about to take back her hand, he suddenly grasped it with his own. Amber didn¡¯t struggle, just looking back at him with a smile.


    ¡°Amber.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I was very happy tonight.¡±


    Amber thought back to their night together. Actually, she was very happy too. After encountering all sorts of patients in the hospital, she hade to miss the lively days when she would get together with her friends and go home together, talking about their lives as they walked back.


    She had thought that interacting this way with Calvin was normal behavior, and that their social interactions and friendships, that their conversations andmunications had all been normal. It was not at all like her interactions with Ian, where she had to constantly scrutinize his expression, consider the deeper meaning behind his words, and ponder whether or not each and every one of her words would impact him negatively.


    Doctors were people too, and they also had times when they wanted to rx, so she nodded and returned the smile. ¡°I was happy too.¡±


    ¡°Then ¡­ the words that I said to you that night-can I say them to you again, formally this time?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    ¡°Ich liebe dich. Je t¡¯aime.  Mro6io Te.¡±


    He restated it in a few differentnguages in a row. In the cold night, every sentence he said came out with its own puff of mist. His face seemed to be hidden in light clouds that his smiling eyes pierced through like stars in the night sky.


    Finally, he said it in English, three simple words, ¡°I love you.¡±


    She smiled, and asked, ¡®Why did you say it over and over again?¡±


    A noisy car drove past and gossiping pedestrians walked by them. However, at that moment, Amber seemed only to be able to hear his voice. ¡°Because I want to tell the whole world that I love you.¡±

 Chapter 76. NEW BOYFRIEND?

    When Amber arrived at work the next day, she entered with an unintentional smile on her face. The head nurse was surprised upon seeing her expression. ¡°You seem very happy today. Did something good happen?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± As Amber took out a recording device, her voice was light and lively as she replied, ¡°I found this.¡±


    The head nurse inspected it curiously. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Something that will tell stories.¡±


    ¡°For Elly?¡± The head nurse


    understood Amber¡¯s thought process quite well by now, and she had realized its purpose almost as soon as she saw it. ¡°You really care about her.¡±


    Amber chuckled before entering her office to put her white coat on. ¡°How has she been thesest two days?¡±


    ¡°She hasn¡¯t been making a fuss, but she hasn¡¯t been particrly cooperative either. Dr. Camille, are you sure that you want to keep treating her like this?¡±


    Amber¡¯s footsteps, which had been steadily heading out, faltered. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°The department head was inquiring about Elly¡¯s situation earlier today.¡± The head nurse leaned in closer, and then softly whispered, ¡°It seemed like Dr. Beryl has been talking to him, so ¡­ if you have the time, then you should probably go talk with the head.¡±N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    Amber thought for a moment and then nodded. ¡°Alright, thanks for letting me know.¡±


    ¡°No problem. Next time, tell you¡¯re mom to teach me how to make that beef jerky of hers.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s easy! Just let me ask my mom, and we can head over to her ce next week.¡±


    The two chatted for a couple more minutes, and then Amber went over to the doctor¡¯s office to prepare for her ward inspections. The doctors did the rounds every Tuesday, and this included all of the experts and even the head. When they reached Elly¡¯s ward, Beryl smiled maliciously at Amber, and, as if on queue, Amber ended up being called out by the head. ¡°This patient has been here for more than a month by now, hasn¡¯t she?¡±


    Beryl gave out a rification. ¡°A month and twenty days, Chief.¡±


    The department head gave him a severe look from the side. ¡°You know quite a lot about someone else¡¯s patient, don¡¯t you!¡±


    Beryl blushed scarlet red, and the other doctors had to restrain themselves fromughing, either by turning away or by pretending to look down at their medical reports. Amber, on the other hand, lowered her head and stood to the side, waiting for the chief to continue.


    As expected, the chief criticized her on the spot. As Amber listened, she sighed. If this had happened to her a few days earlier, she probably would have been so embarrassed that she wouldn¡¯t havee back to work for several days.


    But ever since she was punished with a public self reflection, she had found herself much more thick skinned.


    After the round of ward inspections, Amber was called into the chief¡¯s office alone. ¡°Why has that patient of yours not shown any improvement even after having undergone treatment for so long? Some doctors have even reported that you¡¯re treating your patients like test subjects.¡±


    Amber had originally held an indifferent attitude towards this talking to, but when she heard these usations, her expression quickly became serious.


    ¡°That¡¯s not true at all. I¡¯m simply trying to determine the best and most well suited treatment n. Elly isn¡¯t a typical patient. Her illness, the rare Cotard¡¯s syndrome, has few precedents for treatment, and she¡¯s very much unstable herself. If we force her to take drugs, I fear that her illness will only be temporarily suppressed at best.¡±


    ¡°So you want to reject the methods that we¡¯ve developed in modern medicine?¡±


    ¡°No, chief. I only think that we psychiatric doctors can¡¯t rely too much on external symptoms and medicine. If these two things are sufficient to treat all illnesses, then there wouldn¡¯t be so many people with mental illnesses in this world.¡±


    When Amber spoke about her specialty, she was able to do so frankly and with solid confidence, so much so that even the chief wasn¡¯t able to persuade her. Failing to convince her to change anything, the head once again chased her out of his office.


    Not long afterwards, everyone in the department learned of what had happened. After Amber finished her clinical duties in the afternoon, a great many doctors sent congrattory messages. ¡°I heard that you made the chief so angry that he fell ill again, right? Congrattions, you must be the first one to do so in our hospital¡¯s history.¡±


    And then, ¡°Eat and drink as much as you can. It seems like you won¡¯t have any chance of being promoted in the future.¡±


    Amber didn¡¯t know whether tough or to cry. When Calvin came over with lunch, he too noticed the other doctors strange and ambiguous attitude towards her, asking, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Have you done something particrly impressive?¡±


    Amber smiled. ¡°I¡¯ve aplished something never before seen in the hospital¡¯s history. Does that count?¡±


    Calvin was shocked and surprised. ¡°Really?¡± And then, after thinking about it, he felt like it was something inevitable. ¡°You¡¯ve always been smart, so it¡¯s only normal that you would¡¯ve done something like that.¡±


    Amberughed boisterously until she couldn¡¯t anymore, and then she opened the lunchbox that Calvin brought for her and prepared to eat. Just then, the head nurse popped her head into the office.


    ¡°Are you having lunch?¡± When she noticed Calvin, her tone became somewhat apologetic. ¡°Dr. Camille, Dr. Susan from the gynecology department just called and is looking for you. She was asking if you¡¯re free.¡±


    Amber blinked. ¡°Dr. Susan?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Right now? Where is she?¡±


    ¡°The gynecology building. ording to her, they have a pregnant woman who seems to be suffering from postpartum depression, and they want you to take a look.¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯ll head over right away then.¡± Amber stood up and said to Calvin, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Something just came up, so I¡¯ll have to eat thister.¡±


    Calvin was very understanding as he considerately replied, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, and go do what you have to. But make sure that you eat once you¡¯re done.¡± After the head nurse left, he took out a small piece of braised rib and offered it to her. ¡°Why don¡¯t you first eat a few pieces as a stopgap?¡±


    Looking at it, Amber opened her mouth, bit the meat off the bone, and then somewhat unclearly mumbled, ¡°Thanks.¡± After putting on her white coat, she was about to go when Calvin suddenly pulled her to a stop.


    When she turned around, Calvin leaned in close and pecked her lips with his own. ¡°Go, I¡¯ll see youter tonight.¡±


    Seeing his happy face, Amber suddenly felt a very special feeling well up, as if something had hit the innermost part of her heart very, very softly.


    And then she said something that spoiled the intimate atmosphere. ¡°Since you¡¯re here, you should go and see Elly. I¡¯ll have someone set it up for you; if she¡¯s willing, you can even try to approach her.¡±


    Calvin looked at her somewhat speechlessly.


    Only then did Amber realize that she hadn¡¯t read the mood very well. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m a bitcking in social intelligence these days, so don¡¯t mind me.¡±


    Calvin chuckled. ¡°Slightly, yes, so you should be punished.¡± He leaned in again, pecking her lips once more.


    This time, they weren¡¯t so lucky. The head nurse, after noticing that they still hadn¡¯te out, popped her head inside again right as the two were kissing.


    Amber¡¯s face immediately blushed a deep red that spread all the way to the tips of her ears.


    The head nurse and Amber went to the gynecology building together, and Calvin walked them to the elevator. As the elevator doors closed, the head nurse didn¡¯t say anything yet because other people were in it, and Amber simrly tried her best to behave seriously.


    But once they were alone, the head nurse lightly rapped Amber with her wrist. ¡°You got a new boyfriend?¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    After a moment of speechlessness, Amber gravely said, ¡°No.¡±

 Chapter 77. IF YOU LIKE HIM, THEN SNATCH HIM AWAY

    The nurse clicked her tongue for a long while. ¡°I might be old, but my eyes are still working properly. The two of them are totally different men, alright? That one from back then was more handsome.¡±


    Then the nurse turned her head around and looked Amber in the eye before saying, in a tone that disyed her worry for Amber, ¡°Settle down. If you really like one of them, then you should settle down quickly so that you don¡¯t end up being blinded by beauty.¡±


    ¡®Otherwise she would be miserable if she kept going as she was now.¡¯ The head nurse didn¡¯t say these words, but Amber understood her warning clearly.


    What could she do? Amber¡¯s only option was to say, ¡°Alright, I understand.¡±


    Lunch break had just ended when Calvin returned to his office.


    At the door of the elevator, he saw Melody in a furious mood. Her steps were wide and quick, so much that the two of them almost collided.


    Calvin quickly supported her and stopped her from falling. ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    She nced at him, said nothing, and then turned around to enter the elevator.


    As she left, a colleague rushed out of their department, clearly chasing after her. Upon seeing Calvin, he looked as if he had just seen his savior, and asked, ¡°Did Manager Melody just leave?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡±


    ¡°Are you free this afternoon?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°Would you mind helping me apany Manager Melody in sending this document to general headquarters? I offended her just now, and I¡¯m really scared that she might kill me if she gets annoyed on the way there. Really, she¡¯s been so frighteningtely. Please, I¡¯m begging you.¡±


    He sped his hands tightly, truly hoping that Calvin would help him out. When Calvin recalled that he didn¡¯t have anything else urgent to do in the afternoon, and that he also had to stop by headquarters soon, he agreed.


    His colleague couldn¡¯t stop thanking him, but Calvin only smiled in response before getting on the other elevator and chasing her down the building.


    When he reached the lobby, Melody had just exited the main door. Calvin ran up to her and called out, ¡°Manager Meng.¡±


    Melody turned around, looking him in the eye. ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    ¡°I also have something to do at headquarters, so it was more convenient for me to apany you.¡±


    Melody didn¡¯t say anything more. It was evident that she was still somewhat unhappy.


    Calvin was also a quiet person, so they didn¡¯t exchange any words the whole way to headquarters. Once there, they turned in the document together, and then the CEO even chatted with him and asked if he was doing well in the branchpany.


    Calvin responded perfunctorily and left. Melody didn¡¯t leave, instead lounging around in the CEO¡¯s officezily. When the CEO saw her behaving that way, he felt somewhat sorry. ¡°Who made you mad? I can tell as soon as you entered with your mouth pursed like that.¡±


    ¡°No one. I¡¯m just vexed and exhausted.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Melody didn¡¯t have a reason.


    And so he said, ¡°You must feel too restrained. If you¡¯re tired of work, then you should go out and y around, or if not that, then go find a boyfriend.¡± ncing outside, he then said, ¡°Someone like the guy who came in with you. What do you think of him?¡±


    Melody turned toward the CEO.


    ¡°You¡¯re overthinking it. He already has a girlfriend.¡±


    Even though Melody¡¯s tone was calm, the CEO could tell that she was at least a little interested. He chuckled in response as he personally poured her a ss of water. ¡°Just a girlfriend, not a wife.¡±


    Honestly, even if he did have a wife, Melody would still be able to easily snatch him away. Just look at how many simr cases there were in the news recently! ¡°As long as you want to, then it¡¯s no big deal. What¡¯s more, I specifically hired thisd as I originally wanted him to oversee a part of thepany. However, he thought that it would be better for him to start from the bottom because he just returned from overseas and is still unfamiliar with the inner workings over here. Thus, I put him over where you are.¡±


    ¡°Uncle seems to like him quite a bit?¡±


    ¡°Of course. I met him while working abroad. I can tell that he¡¯s a very steadfast man. In our house, neither your brother nor sister are interested in my business, and you¡¯re the only one who¡¯s willing to help me at all. So, if you can make him our son inw and by doing so add a reliable helper to the business, then, as your uncle, I¡¯m all for it.¡±


    Melody was resentful after hearing the exnation. ¡°So you¡¯re just looking for someone to help you manage your business!¡±


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s not what I said. That¡¯s only if you like him.¡±


    Melody ignored him, angrily standing up to leave.


    She left in a huff. Forck of a better option, her uncle could only call Calvin back in. ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s been going on with Melodytely, but she¡¯s been very irritable. As young people, you two should have some things inmon. If you¡¯re free, please help me out and talk to her.¡±


    Calvin smiled. ¡°Alright.¡±


    Honestly, he wasn¡¯t sure what they would even talk about, but after he remembered what Amber had said, he took the initiative to start a conversation with Melody on the way back.


    He started off by asking, ¡°Have you not been resting well recently?¡±


    Melody¡¯s reply was cold. ¡°What of it?¡±From N?velDrama.Org.


    Calvin smiled as he gestured to his eyelids. ¡°You have big eyebags over here. My girlfriend is a psychiatrist, and she¡¯s very good at treating insomnia and other simr illnesses. Do you want to talk with her?¡±


    Melody didn¡¯t reply. After a while, she asked, ¡°Do you like her very much?¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± At this point, Calvin had started driving and since her voice was so quiet, he didn¡¯t clearly hear what she said. Naturally, his response was to turn his head around and look at her.


    Even though Calvin¡¯s facial features weren¡¯t as well defined as Ian¡¯s, he had his own delicate charm. His demeanor was gentle and kind, like a medieval schr from a book.


    Melody felt her dormant heart stir. She clutched her chest and asked, ¡°Do you love her very much?¡±


    Calvin nodded as he affirmed, ¡°Yes, I do.¡±


    Melody unconsciously smiled before turning her gaze towards the hustle and bustle of the outside world. She let her mind wander among the people and cars outside, no longer continuing the conversation.

 Chapter 78. NEW FRIENDSHIP

    As Calvin and Melody were driving back, Amber had just pacified a patient and was just about to leave when Dr. Susan called her again.N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    Dr. Susan was the doctor who Amber had met when she had identally walked into the gynecology department while hiding from reporters. They hadn¡¯t seen each other for a month, and Dr. Susan looked even thinner than before, almost as if she would be blown away by any stray wind.


    Amber looked at her carefully, and then seriously said, ¡°Dr. Susan, I think that you need to make sure to get some more rest.¡±


    Dr. Susanughed. ¡°As a psychiatrist, you really do have sharp eyes.¡± She rubbed her temples before saying, ¡°Do you have some free time after work? I¡¯d like to spend some time talking with you.¡± As she looked at Amber, she added. ¡°I can pay.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d be honored. If you need to, feel free to find me at any time.¡± Amber gave Dr. Susan her address. ¡°I can treat you to dinner this time.¡±


    Dr. Susanughed as she epted, ¡°Alright.¡±


    As Amber left the gynecology building, she remembered that she had actually already scheduled to have dinner with Calvin, and so she sent him a message. ¡°Something came up this evening. Can we reschedule dinner for another time?¡±


    Calvin sent her a crying emoji, and then a simple reply. ¡°Okay.¡±


    Amberughed and went to buy some groceries after getting off work. But she still didn¡¯t have enough time to finish cooking before her doorbell rang.


    Amber opened her door and let Dr. Susan in. She was wearing casual clothes, and after taking her white coat off and recing it with a pale blue coat, she no longer seemed as thin or frail.


    ¡°I still haven¡¯t introduced myself properly. I¡¯m Susan White,¡± she said.


    ¡°Come in, Susan White!¡± And then Amber handed her a pair of slippers.


    There was music floating through the house, a soft and rxing blues tune with a thick and deep bass male voice singing soulful melodies. The living room was lit solely by a smallmp, from which a pale yellow light set the warm tone.


    The sofa was very clean and tidy, and a cup of hot tea and a vase of fresh flowers were ced on the coffee table. There weren¡¯t that many flowers in the case only two or three stalks, but they were arranged beautifully in a white vase patterned with blue flowers. The gentle aesthetic added a delicate and independent beauty to the center of the living room.


    All this gave off such afortable atmosphere, that anyone who saw it would feel a nearly irresistible urge to curl up on the sofa and fall into afortable and restful sleep.


    Susan smiled happily before turning to look at Amber. ¡°Thank you for all your effort.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no problem. Please, sit first. I¡¯m almost done with the meal, so let me prepare a bit longer.¡±


    Susan nodded, and Amber returned to the kitchen. By the time she was done, Susan was already asleep, halfying down on the sofa.


    Amber smiled, lowered the volume of the music, and brought out a nket to cover her body. She ate alone in the kitchen, a modest meal of a bowl of rice and a small dish of soup.


    After she finished dinner, she read a book on her carpet. Susan slept by her side, not for too long though. After about an hour or so passed, she awoke once more.


    ¡°Are you hungry?¡± asked Amber. When she heard the rustling sounds of movement next to her, she knew that Susan had woken up.


    Perhaps Amber¡¯s tone was too familiar and too natural, but Susan had a somewhat perplexed look on her face when she looked at Amber.


    After a while, when her mind had cleared up, she said, ¡°I can¡¯t believe I actually fell asleep.¡± And what a sound sleep it was! She had fallen into such a deep sleep that all her stress seemed to have vanished, and she was able to ignore all the issues normally guing her. That one hour nap had felt like a long, fulfilling sleep.


    Susan looked deeply at Amber as she said, ¡°You¡¯re really quite different from the other psychiatrists I know. No wonder so many people in the hospital say that you¡¯re strange. Of course, I now know that it¡¯s praise for you.¡±


    Amberughed. ¡°The food¡¯s still warm. Do you want some? I think you should eat.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Amber served her some food. She could only make simple dishes, so dinner was quite modest, just a soup, some meat, and a dish of sauteed green vegetables.


    She was somewhat embarrassed. ¡°These are my best dishes, so please help yourself.¡±


    Susan smiled. ¡°At least you have a few dishes that you¡¯refortable making, while I have none.¡± She picked up her bowl and spoon, and started eating slowly. Amber drank a bit of soup while she apanied her.


    Susan didn¡¯t eat much. When she was done, she looked at Amber. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to ask me something?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I was waiting for you to finish eating first.¡±


    Susan looked at her, smiling after a moment¡¯s pause. ¡°You¡¯re really ¡­ overturning my understanding of psychiatrists. I thought that, in order to cure an illness, you would first start with a heart to heart talk, follow that up with an inspection, and end by prescribing some medicine.¡±


    Amber asked, ¡°Do you need any of that?¡±


    ¡°No. I just need to sleep and eat more.¡± After saying that, she stared at the empty bowl in front of her for quite a while. Then she stood up. ¡°I¡¯m going to go. Thank you. Before I leave, I¡¯d like to retract what I said that time. You should be a doctor, and you¡¯re honestly a very good doctor.¡±


    Amber smiled. ¡°Thank you. That¡¯s the best praise I¡¯ve ever heard. And to think that I even got scolded by our chief today.¡±


    ¡°Your chief doesn¡¯t know what¡¯s what.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I think so too.¡±


    The two shared anotherugh as Amber apanied Susan to the door. From start to finish, Amber had never asked a single question, but she believed that, no matter what, Susan already knew what she needed to do.


    Sometimes, the main reason people felt frustrated was because they had forced themselves into a dead end. When someone gave that person a cup of tea, sat her down, and let her have the rest she needed, she would realize that her path forward was blocked off, and that she should turn around.


    After all, Susan was a smart person.

 Chapter 79. A YOUNG HUSSY

    Onlyter did Amber hear about what sort of problem Susan was dealing with.


    It was Saturday, and Amber, as nned, had met up with the head nurse and some of her colleagues to all go over to her mother¡¯s house together. Because her parent¡¯s house was in the country, the head nurse and Amber¡¯s other coworkers had searched around before hand and found that there was a reservoir nearby. Thus, they had animatedly decided to go fishing and brought their gear with them.


    The weather that day wasn¡¯t bad. After a long streak of cold days, they had been rewarded with a rare, sunny one. As her other colleagues went to climb the small hill by the reservoir, the head nurse walked up to Amber and began to gossip. ¡°Dr. Susan got a divorce.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Amber didn¡¯t react in time.


    ¡°Dr. Susan from the gynecology department. You haven¡¯t forgotten her, have you?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I remember.¡± As Amber said this, she assembled her fishing rod and then asked, ¡°What happened to her?¡±


    ¡°She got divorced,¡± the head nurse repeated with a bemoaning tone as she looked at the lure in the water with her hands in her pockets. ¡°Apparently, she found out that her husband was having an affair. Originally, she wanted to forgive him, and the man was also willing to work on their rtionship again. However, two months after that, Dr. Susan ultimately decided to get a divorce.¡±


    Amber didn¡¯t know what to say, so she nodded and merely said, ¡°I understand.¡±


    The head nurse was very dissatisfied with her reaction. ¡°That¡¯s it?¡±


    ¡°Yes. What else can I say?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re really boring.¡± The head nurse pouted.


    Wary of spoiling the trip, Amber followed along with the head nurse¡¯s wishes and asked, ¡°Is she alright?¡±N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    ¡°Perhaps. It¡¯s just that she¡¯s gotten really thin. I¡¯m telling you. When you saw her that day, that¡¯s not at all what she used to look like. I started working at the hospital around the same time that she did, and she used to be so pretty tall and well developed.


    However, the present her is, gosh, barely recognizable. Apparently, her husband started his affair because she was too busy at work, and became entangled with a young girl from his office ¡­ aish!¡±


    After the head nurse finished summarizing the gossip, she let out a loud sigh. ¡°That¡¯s why, nowadays, even being a doctor is a high risk profession as you have to worry about both your patients and their family prodding you whenever they think that you¡¯re not doing a good job, and also about what¡¯s going on with your own family.¡±


    Amber smiled. When the head nurse noticed this, she nced at her. ¡°You should pay more attention! I¡¯m telling you, the three major problems of modern doctors are dying, getting injured, and having an unfaithful partner! While you¡¯re young, you have to learn to train your man to be faithful. Don¡¯t think that he¡¯s treating you well just because he brings you a healthy lunch every day.


    While your emotions are strong, he¡¯ll be willing to submit to you at every turn, but you have to keep in mind what might happenter! Aren¡¯t you a psychiatrist? You have to keep him continually entranced. He needs to believe that he won¡¯t be able to live if he leaves you, that you¡¯re the only fairy in this world, and that everyone else is a worthless hussy.¡±


    Amber couldn¡¯t helpughing loudly at the head nurse¡¯sst remark.


    But the head nurse was still talking. ¡°Don¡¯tugh. I¡¯m really being serious here. You don¡¯t know how devious those little hussies are many doctors at our hospital are actually suffering from this.¡±


    At this time, a young, warm, and male voice spoke up from beside them. ¡°Um, this miss? Actually, even if Amber doesn¡¯t hypnotize me, I would still think that she¡¯s the only fairy in this deste world.¡±


    Upon hearing this, the head nurse¡¯s expression looked as though she had swallowed a whole duck¡¯s egg. It was only quite a whileter that she recovered and startedughing dryly.


    Clearly, the man who had recently been bringing Amber lunches was standing right behind them. She secretly pinched Amber and greeted him. ¡°Hello, it¡¯s nice to meet you.¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you too.¡± Calvin was also a bit embarrassed, as he wasn¡¯t here alone. Standing beside him was one of the ¡®young hussies¡¯ the head nurse had mentioned.


    Amber felt the urge tough well up within herself again. Instead of giving in, she stood up and nodded politely to the girl. ¡°Hello.¡±


    Melody was expressionless.


    After everyone had greeted each other, the head nurse snuck off to find her colleagues, extremely embarrassed. Calvin went to get something from the car, and Amber took out a fishpole to teach Melody how to fish.


    She was actually the one who invited Melody. Just a day ago, Amber had suddenly received a message from Melody on chat. ¡°Are you going somewhere this weekend?¡±


    Although Amber was surprised, she still answered, replying back, ¡°Yes.¡±


    And then Melody asked very straight forwardly, ¡°Can Ie too?¡±


    What else could Amber say? Nothing but ¡°Alright.¡± Anyways, the head nurse and her colleagues would be there too, so Melody¡¯s presence or absence wouldn¡¯t be a problem.


    Additionally, Calvin had mentioned that Melody seemed to be under mental duress, which was another reason why Amber had asked him to bring her along.


    Because Melody lived quite a distance away, Calvin had been a bitte since he had to pick her up. Amber didn¡¯t think that, just as they arrived, they would hear the head nurse lecture her about taming potential husbands.


    Melody didn¡¯t care too much about what the head nurse had said, and Amber didn¡¯t bother spending time exining it either because there was no need. Instead, Amber focused on carrying out a very simple test with Melody, asking her to put the fish bait on the hook.


    Actually, this should have been a very simple task, as one merely had to roll the fish food into small balls and then string the hook through it until the sharp end pierced through slightly. This way, the food wouldn¡¯t float unnaturally in the water, and it would also be easier for the fish¡¯s mouth to catch on the hook.


    Because she knew that Melody would being, Amber had specially chosen fish food that wasn¡¯t very sticky and thus would require some patience to knead and rub into the right shape. Melody tried it twice and failed. On the third time, as Amber was about to exin it again, she threw the fishpole down out of frustration. ¡°I quit!¡±


    And then she got up and left.

 Chapter 80. THE WAY TO ‘ESCAPE’

    Coincidentally, Calvin returned just then, as he had gathered the supplies they needed. When he saw Melody rush off angrily, he asked Amber, ¡°Did she get angry again?¡±


    Amber smiled and affixed the properly baited pole by the water. After she was finished, she said, ¡°Look after my pole, and I¡¯ll go bring her back.¡±


    ¡°Amber,¡± Calvin said as he pulled her aside. ¡°Just give her a simple diagnosis. If she really needs treatment, then I¡¯ll talk with Director Lee on Monday and have him send her to the hospital to receive regr treatment. But it¡¯s the weekend right now. I brought her here because you wanted me to, but I don¡¯t want you to spend too much time on her. Furthermore ¡­.¡± He looked at her, and softly whispered into her ear, ¡°You¡¯re the only one in my eyes.¡±


    After saying those sweet words, he double checked that no one was paying attention to them before quickly pecking her on her face and letting her go.


    ***


    Amber went over to find Melody. She hadn¡¯t gone far just next to a willow tree near the reservoir. She was squatting down and digging near the ground with a random wooden stick she had picked up.


    ¡°Do you find this boring?¡± Amber asked as she stooped down next to her.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I also find it quite boring, fishing and all that. it¡¯s the most boring thing in the world. I¡¯d rather stay at home and read my books thane and fish.¡±


    ¡°Then why are you here?¡±


    ¡°Because there are other things that I like here.¡± Amber smiled, as she breathed in deeply and looked around, appreciating the brilliant sunlight and verdant scenery. ¡°Things like interacting with my friends, this lovely sunlight, and the fresh country air. They¡¯re all very nice.¡±


    Melody remained unmoved. ¡°I don¡¯t find these things interesting at all. Before this, I also had the thought that I shoulde out and walk around, and my uncle also persuaded me to not just stay at home. However, aftering out here, I realized that everything is boring here.¡±


    She looked at her intently. ¡°Do you understand how I feel?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡±


    Melodyughed, a sharp, sneeringugh. Clearly, she didn¡¯t believe her.


    Amber ignored her scorn and went on to say, ¡°When my grandmother died, I also felt the same way you do now, thinking that nothing I did was meaningful. If I picked up a book, the only thought I¡¯d have is that I¡¯d forget the knowledge after reading it what¡¯s the point? If I yed a game that I liked, I would get tired of it minutes after starting. It was annoying to talk to everyone because they were never on the same page as me ¡­.¡±


    Amber went on for a while, and Melody finally quieted down. When Amber finished, Melody asked her, ¡°Then, how did you ¡­ escape?¡±


    Amber smiled. ¡°I was lucky. When I was at my lowest, my teacher forced me to enter a mathpetition. In thatpetition, I met a boy. He was very handsome, and his tone very gentle. During the exam, my nose started bleeding, and he gave me a napkin.


    The proctor used us of cheating, so I crumpled up my test and said that I wasn¡¯t going to take it anymore, and he followed suit. We escaped the testing area together and yed games outside for a whole afternoon. Afterwards, I told myself, ¡®I should really live well. If I don¡¯t, then such a handsome boy would belong to someone else''¡±


    ***


    Amber, her colleagues, Calvin and Melody all stayed at the reservoir until thete afternoon. Afterwards, they went over to Amber parents¡¯ home.


    Calvin was within a crowd of Amber¡¯s colleagues, so Amber¡¯s mother actually didn¡¯t recognize him at first. Only after Amber introduced him did her mother say, amazed, ¡°Ah, are you really Calvin? You¡¯ve changed so much!¡± She looked him up and down. ¡°You¡¯re even more handsome than you were before!¡±


    The head nurse made beef jerky with Amber¡¯s mother, and even helped prepare a sumptuous dinner for everyone. Everyone kept eating and eating, only going homete into the night.


    Amber didn¡¯t leave. It was rare for her to be able to return home, so she had to stay with her parents for at least another day. When she sent them off, Calvin was one of thest to leave. He was aggrieved that the first weekend of his official rtionship with Amber had been filled with so many third wheels.


    Amber consoled him, ¡°It¡¯s alright, there are so many days ahead of us.¡± ncing at Melody sitting quietly in the car, she then said softly, ¡°It¡¯s probably depression. It¡¯d be somewhat hard to treat all on my own, so it¡¯s best if she goes to the hospital to get official mental help.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± He looked at her deeply as he continued, ¡°I¡¯lle back to see you tomorrow.¡±


    His meaning was clear, only he would be back here tomorrow.


    Amber smiled, pushed him into the car, and waved goodbye to Melody.


    Melody also waved back at her.


    ***


    Amber turned around to go inside, only to see her parents sitting upright on the sofa. As she entered, her mother waved at her amiably. ¡°Come,e. Sit here.¡±


    Amber was wary of their ostensibly congenial attitude. ¡°What are the two of you up to?¡±


    Her mother, now impatient, hit the sofa fiercely. ¡°Sit down! Why do you keep asking questions?¡±


    Cowed, Amber obediently sat down next to her. Her father felt sorry for her, and tried to mollify her mother by saying, ¡°Be more gentle.¡±


    She only stared back at him in response.


    Amber¡¯s father didn¡¯t say anything else, feeling somewhat sorry for his daughter.


    Amber didn¡¯t mind much as she prepared herself for a lecture. She was sure that the contents would include the ssics like, ¡°even if you¡¯re busy, remember toe home,¡± ¡°eat regrly,¡± ¡°you¡¯re even thinner now, don¡¯t go on a diet arbitrarily,¡± and other simr refrains. She listened intently, satisfying her mother¡¯s desire of thoroughly instructing her daughter. She and her mother used to be somewhat estranged, and her mother¡¯s mode of getting close to her seemed to involve lecturing her.


    At least it didn¡¯tst too long. Once her mother had said everything that she wanted to say, she coughed lightly and changed her tone as she asked, ¡°That Calvin, when did he get back?¡±


    ¡°About two months ago.¡±


    ¡°Oh, have the two of you been in touch?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but only quite recently.¡±N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    ¡°Did he look for you as soon as he came home?¡± Amber¡¯s mother was trying to be subtle, but she soon dropped the pretense and shot out a round of questions. ¡°Is he married? No? Does he have a girlfriend? Where is he staying? Where¡¯s he working? How¡¯s his sry and his prospects at thepany? Is his mom doing alright? Have you met her?¡±


    Every mother was a detective. During the day, Amber hadn¡¯t interacted much with Calvin, but her mother had still somehow caught onto the fact that something seemed to be going on between them. Now, she was indirectly probing the situation by asking questions nonstop.


    Honestly, Amber was very impressed by her antics.


    She hadn¡¯t intended on telling her family the truth so early because of Calvin¡¯s mother attitude. She wasn¡¯t particrly pessimistic about the future, but neither was she optimistic.

 Chapter 81. INVITATION

    The next day, Calvin didn¡¯t end up seeing her. He called her early and said that something urgent hade up, and that he had to immediately depart for a business trip.


    And so, Amber stayed at her parent¡¯s home and apanied her parents for the day. In the morning, after she woke up at five in the morning, she helped them out with the business. In the bitter winter wind, Amber cozied up in the small kitchen with her family as they steamed buns, made beancurd, simmered porridge, and wrapped dumplings and potstickers.


    Amber wasn¡¯t used to so much kitchenwork, and she even cut herself by ident. Her father felt very apologetic and even said, ¡°Ah, stop working. Go to the side and rest. You can just talk with us.¡±


    Amber didn¡¯t listen to him. Instead, she took out a bandage, wrapped it around her wound, and continued to work. Because she had some extra time, she even carved some carrots into flowers, steamed them inside a pot, and then used them to garnish some dishes when they were ready. Later in the morning, when customers starteding in, they saw the decorations and said, ¡°Ah, is your little Dr. Camille back now?¡±


    Amber¡¯s parents were particrly proud as they replied, ¡°Yes, she¡¯s here.¡±


    And then when the sun reached its zenith, their neighbors started waking up as well. An olddy who had trouble walking even came over to find Amber ¡°Dr. Camille, can you help me out? I feel ufortable in this region.¡±


    And then, ¡°Dr. Camille, I can¡¯t sleep well. Can you take a look and tell me why?¡±


    For the rest of the morning, Amber served dishes for her parents, helped her neighbors with their minor illnesses, and exchanged pleasantries with the other customers.


    ***


    At the same time, as Calvin and Melody were getting ready to board a ne to a distant part of the country, Ian exited the airport. Billy and Ansell personally went to fetch him. When they met up, Ansell eximed, ¡°You¡¯re finally back! My old man told me that I¡¯d better bring you to this event, or else.¡±


    The event they were talking about was no more than a boring business event. Ian wasn¡¯t interested in it at all, and hadn¡¯t nned on attending. However, he didn¡¯t expect that they still hadn¡¯t given up on the matter.


    His expression turned cold. Although he got in the car, he didn¡¯t say a single word.


    The atmosphere in the car froze up, and Ansell kept ncing at Billy. Seeing how pitiful he was, Billy relented. He turned to Ian with a smile and said, ¡°Ansell also invited Dr. Camille. Are you sure you don¡¯t want to go, Ian?¡±


    Ian raised his head and directly looked at him. Although he still didn¡¯t say a word, Billy and Ansell both felt the tension in the air dissipate, allowing them to breathe a lot more easily.


    The two of them looked at each other without saying anything more. Meanwhile, the car drove straight to the Axton Hotel. Ian didn¡¯t go home frequently, ever since the hotel opened for business, he had permanently reserved a suite in it for himself. And from then on, he¡¯d called Axton Hotel his home.


    ***


    After they arrived, the first thing Ian did was wash his face and change his clothes, as was habitual. While he washed up, Billy and Ansell waited for him in another room. As they walked in, Ansell surreptitiously asked, ¡°When did you invite Dr. Camille? I didn¡¯t know about that.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t!¡± Billy groaned and yelled at him. ¡°Call her now! Boss Axton clearly doesn¡¯t want to go, and the only reason he¡¯s willing to go now is because of Dr. Camille. If he doesn¡¯t see her there, then you¡¯re screwed.¡±


    Ansell was speechless. He picked up his phone and was about to call Amber when he realized something. ¡°I don¡¯t have her phone number.¡± He looked hopefully at Billy and tentatively asked, ¡°Do you have it?¡±


    ¡°¡­ Damn, I don¡¯t have it either!¡±


    The two of them were flustered, and used every trick they could think of to get her number. Eventually, they managed to do so from a friend¡¯s friend¡¯s friend¡¯s brother¡¯s sister inw.


    Once they got her number, Ansell asked, ¡°What should we say? As a doctor, she probably wouldn¡¯t want to attend a business event like that, would she?¡± And they weren¡¯t even Ian, so they didn¡¯t have any reason to randomly invite her.


    ¡°Of course we can¡¯t say it directly.¡± Billy gave Ansell a supercilious look. ¡°We have to invite her in a round about fashion so that she¡¯lle.¡±


    Ansell unashamedly asked, ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°For example, if we said that you were crazy.¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    But after thinking about it for a moment, he realized that Billy wasn¡¯t cursing him, and he didn¡¯t think it too difficult to pretend to be crazy. So, he nned out a little skit with Billy and let Billy make the call.


    Billy was a decent actor, starting to scream and yell as if he¡¯d been possessed as soon as the call connected. ¡°Dr. Camille, I¡¯m Billy, Ian¡¯s friend. I need help! Pleasee quickly! Come quickly!¡±


    It was very loud on Amber¡¯s end. Through the noise, they seemed to hear her ask, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°Someone suddenly went crazy over here, and he¡¯s going around hitting and smashing things. It¡¯s truly frightening!¡± As Billy said this, he made a hand signal and Ansell began making a ruckus in the room. However, the carpet was so thick that smashing furniture against the floor seemed to have no effect. Ansell had no choice but to strangle himself as he shouted, ¡°Aaah!¡±N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    Very satisfied with Ansell¡¯s performance, Billy put the phone closer to Ansell¡¯s mouth in an attempt to make the choking sound clearer.


    They heard nothing from Amber for a while, as if she were trying to carefully listen and figure out just what was going on. Just as Billy and Ansell were winking at each other in celebration of their impending sess, they heard Amber¡¯s gentle and pleasant voice once again. ¡°What kind of livestock are you ughtering over there, a chicken or a duck? How festive.¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±

 Chapter 82. SLAUGHTER BY IAN

    Billy clutched his phone, and hurriedly asked Ansell, ¡°I didn¡¯t hear wrong, did I? Was Dr. Camille mocking us?¡±


    At this time, even Ansell couldn¡¯t help but want tough. ¡°You didn¡¯t hear wrong. She was indeed mocking us.¡±


    ¡°Damn! I¡¯ve never been mocked like this my entire life.¡± As Billy said this, he picked up the phone again, and fiercely said, ¡°Just now, you mocked me and damaged my reputation. I demand that you pay me for-¡±


    Only then did he realize that she had already hung up.


    Billy cautiously asked, ¡°¡­ Is this really something that Dr. Camille would do?¡±


    Unsure, Ansell replied, ¡°Probably. After all, she is quite smart.¡±


    Billy called her again, and thankfully for him, Amber picked up again. However, this time, she only said a single sentence. ¡°I¡¯m a bit busy today, so if you have a friend who needs a diagnosis, please make an appointment. If it¡¯s something else, then sorry, but I don¡¯t have time.¡±


    And then she hung up again before Billy could even get a single word in.


    Billy put his hands on his hips and spun around twice as he exasperatedly loosened his cor. Ansell thought that he was about to get furious, but all Billy did afterwards was drink a full ss of water.


    After he finished it in a single gulp, he said in an unnervingly calm tone, ¡°Let¡¯s forget about it and think of another strategy. What if we let Boss Ian mess with us after he finds out?¡± He then turned to look at Ansell. ¡°Who said that Dr. Camille was going to go just now? Was it you?¡±


    Ansell was silent for a moment before he staunchly replied, ¡°It was you.¡±


    Billy cursed, particrly indignant. ¡°Why the hell did I ever stand up for you for something like this?¡±


    But it was already toote, as he¡¯d already done it. Billy was panic-stricken the entire way to the event, whereas Ian seemed to be rather calm. Even after the event was over, besides the discussion and the final wine reception that he hadn¡¯t attended, Ian was perfectly cooperative throughout. Ansell¡¯s father even asked his son, ¡°That Axton fellow seems particrly easy going today. Did something happen?¡±


    Ansellughed dryly, and when he met up with Billy again back at the hotel, the two of them curled up in a corner, both of them shivering in fear. ¡°I feel like something big¡¯s about to happen.¡±


    Their premonition was very urate. Before they could finishmiserating, an attendant d in white came over and said, ¡°Mr. Ansell, Mr. Billy, Director Axton would like to invite you both over for a moment.¡±


    This time, they didn¡¯t go back to the venue. The attendant instead took them to the tennis court right behind the hotel. Ian was standing in the innermost court, and was just wearing a white sleeved shirt and ck pants after having taken off his jacket. His right hand held a tennis racket, and his left hand was slowly and carefully rolling up his sleeves.


    At his foot was arge basket, about half full with tennis balls.


    When he saw the two arrive, he didn¡¯t even raise his eyelids, only saying, ¡°Let¡¯s get started.¡±


    The attendant threw Billy and Ansell a racket each, and before the two could even react, Ian had already raised his racket and sent a tennis ball smashing from the other end of the court towards them as fast as the wind.


    ¡°F*ck!¡± Billy¡¯s face turned pale with fright, but he¡¯d at least gotten some practice with this over the years. He waved his racket and barely blocked the ball.


    But by the time he¡¯d done so, the next one had already arrived.


    The balls were like guided missiles, all heading towards Billy. Ansell tactfully stood to the side and passively watched their match though it would be more urate to call it a one-sided ughter by Ian, Billy barely able to hold his own. If he missed a return, then the balls would hit his body, all of them mming at high speed into a particrly sensitive region. Tennis balls weren¡¯t that heavy, and they usually wouldn¡¯t hurt all too much, but when they all struck the same area at high speed, the resulting sensation was ¡­ hard to describe.


    At any rate, Ansell didn¡¯t want to ever experience it.


    At the start, Billy was still able to return some of the balls. However, he gradually lost his strength as the beatin on ued. In the end, he felt like his hand was about to break just from trying to block Ian¡¯s serves.


    In the end, he flopped down lifelessly onto the court with his four limbs akimbo. ¡°I¡¯m not ying anymore! Just kill me now.¡±


    As he finished speaking, a ball brushed by the corner of his eye. He was so scared that he screamed sharply as he rolled over to one side.


    Ian ignored him, picked up his racket, and pointed at Ansell, coldly dering, ¡°It¡¯s your turn.¡±N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    Ansell desperately asked, ¡°¡­ Can I surrender?¡±


    The answer was no, and he ended up in an even worse condition than Billy. At least Billy exercised regrly, Ansell, on the other hand, never did anything of the sort!


    Ianunched ball after ball at him. Ansell was never good with sports to begin with, and as he frantically tried to parry these attacks, besides getting hit passively, he could only ¡­ be hit passively.


    But he also couldn¡¯t give up right away because Ian would not stop until he was fully satisfied. Unfortunately, Ansell¡¯s skills were just too lousy. Billy hadsted for over half an hour, but he couldn¡¯t evenst twenty minutes. His shoulders had been hit seventeen or eighteen times, and his face had also suffered a few blows. Once, a ball hit his left cheek so hard that he thought his teeth were going to break.


    Finally unable to go any further, Ansell swiftly copsed onto the floor. Of course, he received the same ¡®splendid¡¯ treatment of having onest ball brush past his eye.


    He didn¡¯t avoid it, and this time, the ball brushed by the corner of his eye, scraping his face. He reached out and even thought that he saw a few flecks of blood.

 Chapter 83. IAN IS IN MESS

    Ian slowly walked over. After their strenuous exercise, Billy and Ansell¡¯s clothes were a mess, and sweat covered their bodies. However, Ian didn¡¯t seem to be sweating at all, his body was clean and his clothes still tidy.


    He didn¡¯t stop walking when he reached the two of them, dispassionately continuing onwards.


    Billy knew that Ian was mad. Whenever Ian was mad, he became even more reticent, if you let him go at you until he was satisfied, it would be fine. However, otherwise ¡­ he would simply ignore you.


    ¡°Boss Axton!¡± Billy called out as he chased after him.


    Ian put the racket back, picked up his jacket, and prepared to leave, as if he hadn¡¯t heard Billy¡¯s pleas at all.


    ¡°Ian, Ian Axton!¡± Billy didn¡¯t give up, but Ian was still ignored.


    Billy chased after him, enduring the pain resounding throughout his whole body. ¡°Boss Axton, listen to me. We really invited Dr. Camille, but she didn¡¯t show up ¡­.¡±


    Before he could finish, Ian had grabbed him by the cor and pushed him against the wall. ¡°My temper¡¯s a bit better now,¡± Ian coldly said as he stared right at Billy.


    ¡°But don¡¯t provoke me.¡± He turned to look at Ansell and ordered, ¡°The car keys.¡±


    Ansell didn¡¯t want to give them to him and cautiously said, ¡°I¡¯ll give you a ride.¡±


    Ian¡¯s lips curled up derisively. ¡°As you want.¡± He let go of Billy, coldly walking out.


    Ian sat in the back, took out a recording device and put on some earphones, listening to something that Ansell couldn¡¯t make out. He seemed calm, his eyes drooping, but Ansell felt even more fearful than before.


    In truth, Ian also felt like he was about to lose control. His heart felt like a zing furnace that was about to overheat and burn his body to a crisp. In the recording device, Amber¡¯s voice was unusually soothing. The stories she was telling were silly and dumb, but he still listened to her recite them over and over again, just as he did during those long sleepless nights, ying them on repeat until he fell asleep.


    But today, it was abnormally hard to calm himself down.


    He knew what he wanted, as he had been suppressing this particr desire for a few days now. Today, after Billy had brought it up, it became even more difficult to control.


    ***


    Ian didn¡¯t go back to the hotel. He gave Ansell his address and returned to his home. He hadn¡¯t been back here in quite a while, his own house, which he¡¯d bought after returning to the country and moving out.N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    The reason he had bought this ce was because it had its own swimming pool. Right then, in the winter, the pool water was bone freezingly cold. But despite the frigid temperature, Ian entered almost without hesitating, even neglecting to remove any of his clothes.


    It was that same feeling, that craziness ¡­ like he wanted to destroy the whole world, only seeking destruction, wanting everything to ¡­ die!


    ***


    Knock! Knock! Knock!


    Amber was abruptly woken up by someone knocking on her door, causing her to quickly spring up from her bed. She rubbed her hair to rouse herself and confusedly walked towards the door.


    ¡°Your phone¡¯s about to die from ringing too much.¡± Her mother handed her phone over, her own face also still hazy with sleep.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Amber yawned, but quickly covered her mouth and frowned when she saw who was calling.


    Since Amber had woken up earlier than usual this morning and ended up working for the entire day, she was exhausted by the time the restaurant closed. She obligingly ate a few bites of dinner before going to sleep. In that interval, she had somehow left her phone in the living room.


    Her mother looked at her unhappily. ¡°Who¡¯s this Ian Axton? He¡¯s calling you sote and incessantly, you¡¯d think his house is on fire or something.¡±


    ¡°A patient,¡± Amber dryly remarked with augh. Then she hugged her mother, and went back inside her room with her phone.


    Before she picked up the call, she quickly nced at the time; it was 11:25 PM. For people like her mother who had to wake up early in the morning, it was essentially the middle of the night.


    Who knew what Ian was calling her about.


    Amber didn¡¯t want to answer the phone all that much, but after thinking about it some more, she finally picked up.


    ¡°Where are you?¡± Even through the phone, Ian¡¯s voice was conspicuously devoid of warmth. ¡°I want to see you.¡± His attitude was as direct as ever, simple and rough.


    Amber, with her sensitive perception, immediately noticed that something was amiss with him. Ian was naturally aloof, but his normal coldness still carried with it at least a little refinement and courteousness. This wasn¡¯t at all like his current tone, which was unapologetically frigid.


    She recalled the earlier phone call from Billy and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡±


    ¡°Where are you?¡± He kept pressing for an answer.


    Amber could only tell him the truth. ¡°I¡¯m with my mom. It¡¯s a bit far from the city.¡±


    ¡®Doodoo!¡¯ The call suddenly dropped. Amber clutched the phone in her hand, only remembering to call Billy after a while.


    She didn¡¯t save his number, so she could only scroll through her caller history. It took her two tries before she found the right number, and Billy exploded once he realized it was her. ¡°And to think you¡¯re a doctor! You didn¡¯t evene help me when I was almost dead. F*ck, I almost died after the beating Boss Ian gave me. My hand¡¯s half crippled! You betterpensate me!¡±


    After he finished ranting, Amber asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Ian?¡±


    ¡°Hm? What do you mean what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°He called me just now, but he sounded off, so I¡¯d like to know if something happened to him.¡±


    ¡°If something happened to him ¡­ does wanting to see you but not being able to do so count?¡±


    Amber frowned. ¡°I¡¯m not joking.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not either. He really does just want to see you.¡± Billy was serious, but it also felt like a joke to him. ¡°Really, that guy ¡­ I think he really is crazy about you. He wants to see you beyond a shadow of a doubt, but because you cuckolded him, he refuses to do so. Dr. Camille, our Boss Ian¡¯s such a great guy, but why would you be so blind as to fall for that pretty guy instead?¡±

 Chapter 84. NOT CONTROLLED

    Amber took a deep breath, barely restraining herself from cursing, and hung up silently.


    Ordinarily, it would take about one and a half hours to drive from the city to her mother¡¯s ce. But about thirty minutes after Ian had hung up, Amber got another call from him.


    She¡¯d guessed that he was going to drive to her, so not only did she give him her mother¡¯s address, but she also changed her clothes in advance and crept to the front door as soon as his call arrived.


    Suburban buildings weren¡¯t as strictly guarded as those in the cities, and Ian had parked his car right underneath the building. As soon as Amber went outside, she saw the bright car headlights illuminating the nearby area.


    Ian was sitting at the head of the car, the headlights like beacons against the backdrop of the night sky. Under the harsh light, Amber could barely make out his outline. His familiar figure was tall and handsome, but with an edge of coldness tonight.


    Only when she walked a bit closer did she notice his unusual behavior. Despite the cold weather, Ian only had a thin shirt on. His gaze was firmly locked onto her, and he had a cigarette in his mouth.


    When he saw her walk over, he flicked his cigarette to the ground. His heel crushed it a secondter, and the star like glow vanished into the night.


    ¡°Are you ¡­ alright?¡± Although Amber was worried about his mental condition, she didn¡¯t dare approach him, and maintained a distance of a few paces from him.


    Ian didn¡¯t speak, only looking at her silently for quite a while. Then, he got up and slowly approached her, his figure leaving themplight.


    Amber couldn¡¯t help but feel like her head was about to explode. She was getting a dangerous vibe from him, and had to force herself to remain still and look back at him.


    Her voice was gentle as she asked, ¡°How are you? Why are you wearing so little? It¡¯s so cold outside, so why don¡¯t you get into the car first?¡± As she said this, she stretched out her hand to pull him into the car, but when she touched him, she was shocked. His clothes were wet, and his whole body was as cold as a block of ice!


    ¡°You ¡­.¡± She stared at him in disbelief. ¡°Didn¡¯t fall into a river, did you?¡±


    Amber disregarded everything else and tried to push him into the car, but Ian twisted his arm and firmly clutched her wrist instead.


    His hand was cold and hard. Before Amber could even react, she had been pulled into his embrace, sticking tightly to his body.


    She felt like she had been wrapped up by a block of ice. Her nose was touching his chest, and she was being hugged tightly that the pain made tears well up in her eyes.


    She thought that he was trying to hug her to warm himself up, but that wasn¡¯t the case. Ian¡¯s next moves werepletely out of Amber¡¯s expectations. After he hugged her, he backed up a few steps, turned around, and pinned her against the car. Then, with his free hand, he pinched her jaw, forced her to raise her head, and without another word, kissed her.


    His lips were as cold as his personality, but very soft. Because he liked cleanliness, he was always clean-shaven and had no stubble. Despite his present condition, he still smelled good, his scent carrying a hint of smoky tobo.


    Amber was very impressed with her ability to process so much information despite her circumstances. But she was very quickly left incapable of thought, because Ian¡¯s next move was to kiss her enthusiastically. He showered her with kisses, from her tightly closed lips to the bridge of her nose, her eyes, and finally her forehead. Unlike his lips, his tongue was warm and soft, raisingyers of goosebumps as he licked her skin.


    Amber tried to avoid his kisses, but he pinned her down tightly. As one hand pressed her down, the other even pulled open her jacket¡¯s zipper, snaking into her clothes and down her cor.


    Only then did Amber start to panic. She struggled forcefully, and yelled desperately at him as she wriggled in fear. ¡°Ian, what¡¯s gotten into you? Wake up!¡±


    But he ignored her. As she spoke, he kissed her lips again. This time, he started sucking on her tongue without any sort of technique. It was instinctive, like the desperate struggle of someone who had been poisoned.


    Amber knew that she couldn¡¯t let the situation continue any longer. Her head was spinning as she tried to think of a way to extricate herself from this. As her logic slowly came back to her, she tried to rx her body. Once she stopped struggling, Ian¡¯s actions also became more gentle. He wasn¡¯t as forceful anymore, but he was still as rough as before.


    As he was tearing her underclothes apart without any care for the consequences, Amber finally decided on her n of attack. She leaned as far back as she could, and then punched him squarely in the nose.N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    Ian, who had been acting crazily for a while now, slowly fell down at her feet.


    At this moment, someone in the house upon which the strong headlights were aimed poked his head out the window. When he saw the two of them hugging, he couldn¡¯t help but yell out, ¡°We¡¯re almost blind from this light. Haven¡¯t the two of you gotten intimate enough yet?¡±


    Amber couldn¡¯t even think of a response.


    ¡°¡­.¡±

 Chapter 85. MISUNDERSTANDING?

    Amber¡¯s family had lived in this apartment for many years. In other words, their neighbors had essentially seen Amber grow up.


    Amber knew the man who had opened the windows and yelled at them. He wasn¡¯t too much older than Amber¡¯s father, but he was technically from her grandfather¡¯s generation. His favorite food from her parents¡¯ store was their alkaline noodles.


    His voice was very loud, shattering the silence of the night. It woke almost everyone in the apartmentplex. Soon after the yell, Amber could see vague movement in the windows on the floors above and below his, and also from the rooms to his left and right.


    Creaking sounds echoed in the night as Amber clutched at Ian. ¡®Alright, I probably won¡¯t be able to hide the fact that I found a dolt as a boyfriend and was kissing him in public.¡¯


    It was cold, and she couldn¡¯t just stay curled up there without moving. Even if she didn¡¯t freeze to death, something would happen to Ian. But since she was unable to push or lift him off of herself, she could only ask someone for help.


    In the end, she decided to ask the person nearest to her, the old man who¡¯d shouted at her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, he¡¯s drunk. Could you help me carry him into the car?¡±


    Hearing her voice, the old man btedly realized who it was. ¡°Oh, so it¡¯s Dr. Camille! Sure, give me a moment.¡±


    Amber started sweating. Someone from the apartment above them quickly shouted, ¡°It¡¯s Dr. Camille? Dr. Camille, your boyfriend came looking for you thiste?¡±


    Amber felt that, despite her recent thick skinned behavior, she still wasn¡¯t ustomed to this level of scrutiny. She buried her head in Ian¡¯s shoulder, at that moment, she really wanted to fiercely gouge a hole in it.


    ¡®Why did he have to harm her like that?¡¯


    She pretended not to hear any of the heckling, intending to run away as soon as Ian was dragged into the car. Then, whether or not she destroyed or abandoned his corpse would be up to her. But the old man who came up to help her was surprisingly enthusiastic.


    When he noticed that his clothes were wet, he eximed, ¡°Did he fall into a river? It¡¯s so cold out that he might catch a cold. What are you thinking, dragging him into a car while he¡¯s in that state? Go home! Go home and change his clothes for him.¡±


    When he saw that Amber was unwilling to do so, he frowned. ¡°Don¡¯t get mad just because he¡¯s drunk. The fact that he came to find you despite how drunk he is implies that you¡¯re the only person in his heart. It¡¯s just that this situation is quite dangerous. If he gets caught by the police, he¡¯ll have to go to prison, and it wouldn¡¯t be good if an ident happened either.¡±


    He kept talking, his voice as loud as ever. Amber didn¡¯t want to exin anything at all, because things would only be more muddled the more she tried. Ultimately, she clenched her teeth and smiled. ¡°I¡¯m very thankful for your help.¡±N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    The old man was surprisingly strong for his age, and was able to carry half of Ian¡¯s body weight on his own. He even had enough extra energy to move around and feel Ian¡¯s body. ¡°Even though he looks skinny, he¡¯s quite heavy and pretty solid! Your boyfriend¡¯s physique isn¡¯t bad.¡±


    Amber didn¡¯t know what to sav in response. She found the car keys still stuck in the car, and pocketed them as she turned the headlights off and closed the car door. With that taken care of, she silently helped carry Ian into her parent¡¯s house.


    Her parents had originally been sleeping soundly, but they were promptly awakened by the noise of three people entering the house. The couple climbed out of bed, and upon seeing the man that their daughter had picked up in the middle of the night, made identical faces that clearly said, ¡°My goodness, am I blind?¡±


    But the man helping them didn¡¯t notice, and he started off by saying, ¡°Old Lauder, I¡¯m helping you bring your daughter¡¯s boyfriend home. He¡¯s drunk and his clothes are wet. You should quickly help him get changed.¡±


    He actually very much wanted to study ¡®Amber¡¯s boyfriend¡¯ some more, but was quickly yet politely sent away by Amber¡¯s father.


    Once they closed the front door, Amber and her parents looked at each other, both sides unsure of what to say. After a while, her mother finally pointed a trembling finger at Ian, who was lying on the sofa. ¡°What¡¯s this? Didn¡¯t you say that the two of you broke up?¡±


    Amber coughed awkwardly. ¡°This is a misunderstanding ¡­.¡±


    Her mother exploded. ¡°Misunderstanding?!


    If it were a misunderstanding, then why would he keep looking for you? It was himst time too, wasn¡¯t it? He¡¯s so drunk that he pounced on you as soon as he got in the door. Is he a beast, or is he a beast?¡± At this point, she even started scolding her husband. ¡°It¡¯s all your fault! Last time when I wanted to go see her, you wouldn¡¯t allow me to, saying something about how she¡¯s grown up and knows what she¡¯s doing ¡­ Is this what knowing what she¡¯s doing looks like? Sneaking someone into the house in the middle of the night.¡±


    Amber and her father both ended up getting berated by her mother. After she calmed down a bit, they went to tidy up the ce and sort out the aftermath. Her father first softly told her mother, ¡°Now that it¡¯se to this, we might as well get him settled down. He¡¯s as cold as ice. If he gets sick, he¡¯d really me our daughter then.¡±


    Upon hearing this, her mother fell deep into thought. She fiercely red at Amber one more time, and then went into Ruby¡¯s room to look for some clothes that she could let Ian change into.


    Amber just stood there obediently, her head bowed as she emanated remorse. But internally, she was thinking that it was good that Ian really wasn¡¯t her boyfriend as his image had already been ruined in her parent¡¯s eyes.


    As for ¡°dolt¡± bing ¡°useless dolt,¡± well ¡­.

 Chapter 86. PITIFUL AND HARMLESS

    While her father was helping Ian change, Amber hid in her room, but that only caused her mother to show up, grab her by the ear, and scold her once more. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Her mother red at her. ¡°You don¡¯t know why he came looking for you in the middle of the night?¡±


    ¡°Maybe he¡¯s ill.¡±


    Amber was telling the truth, but her mother didn¡¯t believe her and even continued to scold her. ¡°You¡¯d even get together with someone who¡¯s mentally unsound? Is the stress of being a doctor getting to you?!¡±


    Amber couldn¡¯t refute her mother, because she felt that her mother did have a point. In some sense, from a doctor¡¯s perspective, she was unduly attracted to Ian.


    She also felt somewhat guilty. Her parents normally got up very early and barely had any time to rest during the day, which made their sleep all the more important. Tonight, however, their rest had been disrupted over and over again.


    She pulled on her mother¡¯s hand anxiously and pleaded, ¡°Mom, please go back to sleep with dad for now. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be sure to handle this properly.¡±


    Her mother looked at her suspiciously.


    ¡°It¡¯s true.¡± Amber smiled and decided to try to clear up Ian¡¯s name a little. ¡°He¡¯s not going to me me. Don¡¯t worry. Oh, if you don¡¯t trust me, you can even ask Ruby. He knows too.¡±


    Amber¡¯s mother raised her eyebrows. ¡°He knows too?¡±


    ¡°Em ¡­.¡± Amber evaluated her position and decided that since they were siblings who had stayed in the same womb for ten months, it would be fine for him to take the fall every once in a while, right? So she nodded without any further deliberation. ¡°Yes, he knew it all.¡±


    Amber didn¡¯t know what was going through her mother¡¯s mind, but she was so angry that her teeth couldn¡¯t stop grinding. Amber felt that, if Ruby were in front of their mother right now, he would immediately receive a big beating.


    Her father knocked on the door. ¡°His clothes have been changed.¡±N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    Amber and her mother walked out. Out of habit, Amber inspected Ian¡¯s condition. She first checked his skin temperature, then peeled his eyelids back to examine his pupils, and finally checked his heart rate through his wrist. Once she was finished, she nodded. ¡°Thank goodness ¡­.¡±


    Raising her head, she saw her parents looking at her strangely. Only then did Amber exin. With a soft cough, she said, ¡°Thank goodness he¡¯s not disying any symptoms of a cold.¡± Looking at her father, she continued, ¡°Dad, when he wakes up tomorrow, let him thank you.¡±


    The only thing on her father¡¯s mind was that his own daughter was too simple minded and somewhat silly. He couldn¡¯t bear to look at her anymore, so he merely waved his hand before retreating to his room.


    Her mother pointed a trembling finger at her again. ¡°You, you, you, you ¡­ all my lectures have been for naught! Make him scram once he wakes up tomorrow. At any rate, I¡¯ll never ept someone like him.¡± After taking two steps back, she yelled at her again. ¡°Go sleep! Stop worrying about him!¡±


    Unfortunately, the misunderstanding between her and her parents seemed to have grown even deeper. They wouldn¡¯t believe that Ian was ill. Naturally, her actions after they called her out would be misinterpreted as her caring for him.


    Amber couldn¡¯t stop herself from rubbing her temples. Once her parents had both left the room, she stood to the side and looked at Ian for a long while. She thought about what his cold face had looked like the first time she had ever seen him. It was hard for her to believe that one day, he would end up where he was now, wearing clothes one size too small for him and sleeping half curled up on a sofa in her parent¡¯s house, looking pitiful and harmless.


    Amber didn¡¯t know if something had happened to him since she hadst seen him, but his condition really wasn¡¯t that good. He hadrge eyebags, and when Amber pulled back his eyelids, she could clearly see red striations on his eyeballs, which was amon symptom of long term sleep deprivation.


    Patients suffering from emotional detachment shared several symptoms with depression, and insomnia wasn¡¯t unusual. However, the fact that he could sleep even in this situation was somewhat strange.


    Amber was certain that her punch hadn¡¯t knocked him out, and he didn¡¯t look like he was in aa either. The fact that he hadn¡¯t woken up yet meant that he was really asleep.


    Anyways, regardless of why, if he could sleep, then she hoped that he would have a good night¡¯s sleep tonight.


    Amber turned off the overhead lights, only leaving a small wallmp as a source of light. As she prepared to return to her room, her father brought out arge quilt. ¡°Get that nket off of him and rece it with this one.¡±


    Amber looked at the quilt in her father¡¯s hands briefly before silently removing the nket currently on Ian¡¯s body. Then, she watched her father push the heavy quilt onto his body. Instantly, the tall and long-limbed Mr. Axton had been submerged in endless piles of cotton.


    Once her father was finished, he even caringly dug out Ian¡¯s head as he said to Amber, ¡°The living room¡¯s cold, and this nket is warm.¡± Since he was worried that the quilt would fall down, he even pushed all of the chairs in the room in front of the sofa so that he could drape the edges of the quilt on the chairs.


    Amber started sweating internally. The quilt that was currently covering Ian was, in Ruby¡¯s words, a family treasure. Amber¡¯s mother had bought cotton and speciallymissioned someone to stitch it. It weighed fifteen pounds, and Amber had once had the dubious fortune of being covered by it. Ever since then, she had been unwilling to use it again.


    Nothing was wrong with it, it was simply too heavy. If Ian woke up in the middle of the night with the nket draped over him, he would feel paralyzed.

 Chapter 87. WOULD YOU RESIST?

    Under her father¡¯s burning gaze, Amber returned to her own room with a thin nket in her hands. She was usually able to fall asleep quickly easily. Even after this whole mess, she had started feeling sleepy once shey in bed and read a few pages from a random book.


    When she woke up, it was already morning, and there was a decent amount of light peeking through the window. She had even momentarily forgotten that Ian was here. When she got out of bed to use the restroom, she saw him covered in a thick, thick quilt. His posture reminded her of arge silkworm in its cocoon, half sitting dazedly on the sofa. The sight caused her to freeze in her tracks, somewhat stupefied.


    After quite a while, she finally reacted. Oh yeah, that happenedst night. She walked over and asked, ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    Ian looked at her without speaking.


    Amber noticed that Ian¡¯s face was actually bright red. In fact, it looked like he had caught a cold. To properly diagnose him, she removed all of the chairs by the sofa, pushed aside the quilt, and put her hand to his forehead.


    His temperature was indeed quite high. She thenpared it to her own forehead before firmly asking, ¡°Are you awake? Do you feel ufortable anywhere?¡±


    Ian just looked at her for some time before finally slowly uttering two sentences: ¡°Where am I?¡± and ¡°Did you lie on me the entire nightst night?¡±


    Amber was struck speechless. ¡°¡­.¡±


    Although she knew that her parents wouldn¡¯t be home at this time of day, she still turned around to confirm that their door was closed, before turning back and saying, ¡°What nonsense are you spouting? The quilt was just probably too heavy for you.¡±


    And then she answered his first question. ¡°This is my mom¡¯s ce. I don¡¯t know what happened to youst night, but you ran over herepletely drenched. Then, you even fainted so I had no choice but to let you sleep here for the night.¡±


    She asked again, ¡°Do you feel unwell anywhere?¡±


    As she said this, she noticed that Ian¡¯s eyes slowly sobered up until they finally returned to their usual coldness.


    There was a moment of silence before he replied, ¡°My throat hurts.¡±N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    Amber was somewhat surprised because she didn¡¯t expect that he would actually answer. Regardless, she quickly recovered and nodded in response. ¡°Then you¡¯ve probably caught a cold. Wait here a moment.¡± She went to go find a thermometer so that she could check his temperature.


    Ian actually took it from her obediently, putting it in his mouth withoutint.


    When Amber had finished washing up in the bathroom, he was still biting down on it. Amber smiled. ¡°Alright, give it to me now.¡±


    Ian gave her the thermometer and Amber looked at it 38 degrees Celsius. ¡°You have a fever. Do you want to go to the hospital?¡±


    He looked at her. ¡°Aren¡¯t you a doctor?¡±


    Sheughed at his simplistic response. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to treat a cold.¡±


    His eyes drooped, and he didn¡¯t say anything. His bodynguage obviously showed that he didn¡¯t want to go to the hospital.


    As a doctor, Amber naturally had a medicine kit at home, with pills formon colds and headaches. Without any other option, she said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll try to help. However, if you don¡¯t get better, then you can¡¯t me me.¡± When she came closer, she could clearly see his face and the eyshes curling up from his eyes. At this moment. they were drooping, just like a quiet butterfly¡¯s folded wings.


    ¡®What was the point of a man having such long eyshes?¡¯ Amber sighed before saying, ¡°Lift your head up.¡±


    He lifted his head, still looking at her coolly with his chillingly frosty pupils.


    She was actually somewhat at a loss for words. A momentter, she coughed dryly and said, ¡°Open your mouth.¡±


    He opened his mouth. Amber hesitated for a moment before she grasped his jaw, tilted his face back, and looked at his throat under themplight.


    ¡°Make an ¡®Aaah¡¯ sound.¡±


    He did, a rare moment of cooperation.


    ¡°Yes, it seems that your throat¡¯s slightly swollen.¡± When Amber finished examining his throat, she looked at his tongue, and then took his wrist and measured his pulse.


    He looked at her, his eyes constantly following her hands. ¡°You know how to do this too?¡±


    As Amber carefully measured his pulse, she said, ¡°I took a few sses while in university because I was curious.¡± She let go of him before giving her diagnosis. ¡°From your symptoms, it seems like it¡¯s amon cold. I have some medicine at home that you can try first. But if the symptoms persist, then I rmend that you go to the hospital.¡±


    She got up, preparing to get him some medicine. However, Ian suddenly stretched out his hand and clutched her wrist tightly.


    His hands were normally cold, but his palm was warm right now, which made her feel like if her skin had caught on fire.


    She didn¡¯t make a fuss or show any repulsion on her face, only turning back and looking at him with a neutral expression. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to ask why I came here looking for you?¡±


    Amber actually didn¡¯t want to ask, and she barely wanted to remember what had happenedst night at all. Her current calm was entirely predicated on her pretending to not be aware of the rumors that were definitely spreading by now and her mental stance of viewing him as a patient.


    From his expression, his answer definitely would not bring her anyfort.


    When Ian saw that she wasn¡¯t going to answer, he smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s because I can¡¯t control myself. I really want to have sex with you. These few days, it¡¯s been a constant urge, during the whole day. Why am I like this?¡± He tugged at her wrist, his pupils dted.


    She heard him ask, ¡°If I do something right now, would you resist?¡± in a refined and courteous mannerpletely unbefitting those words.

 Chapter 88. DO YOU WANT TO DIE?

    Amber felt like her hair was standing on end. She looked at Ian, tightened her hand into a fist, and prepared to punch him again as she calmly asked, ¡°Have you ever had this sort of feeling in the past?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Sexual desire.¡±


    Ian shook his head. ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Never? Or yes, but never as uncontroble as this? Or has it been so long since you¡¯ve had any sexual activity that these urges have be uncontroble? You¡¯ve probably had some experience with sexual activities in the past, right?¡±


    She immediately reverted to a doctor¡¯s perspective and handled his response in a practiced and proficient manner. Originally, her n had been to dy until she could formte a moreprehensive strategy to deal with him.


    However, Ian¡¯s response to her prepared questions was entirely unexpected. He raised his eyebrows and asked, ¡°What does this have to do with the fact that I want to have sex with you?¡±


    As he said this, he even tugged at her so forcefully that Amber had to grab onto the edge of the sofa with all her strength to avoid being dragged any closer to him.


    Right now, Amber felt that Ian and Billy were truly meant to be friends. They both shared the same tendency of saying things in a direct and unpleasant fashion.


    She frowned and replied, ¡°Of course they¡¯re rted. Only after understanding your specific situation can I help you control these urges of yours. If we approach this from the perspective of animal behavioral studies, then we start with the assumption that all uncontroble urges are bestial.


    Thus, the best thing you can do, Mr. Axton, is to learn how to control your body better so that a situation like what happenedst night doesn¡¯t happen again. You might not have realized it, but what you didst night was in fact very dangerous. Driving at high speeds while in that sort of condition could have, at any point-¡±


    Amber¡¯s tone was particrly sincere, and everything she said was to help him. However, Ian didn¡¯t have the patience to listen to another word. While she was still in the middle of talking, he suddenly pulled at her body with one hand while holding her waist with the other, and Amber fell onto his body.


    Luckily for Amber, there was a thick quilt between the two of them, sufficient to cushion her fall. But while she was still feeling thankful, Ian¡¯s hand moved as though it were about to snake into her clothes.


    That was thest straw. Resigning herself to the fact that she wouldn¡¯t be able to reason with him, Amber decided to use the same strategy she hadst night and tried to punch him to calm him down before talking with him any further. But this time, the clearheaded Ian reacted quickly, just as her punch was about tond, he tilted his head, almost sheerly through instinct. ¡®Peng!¡¯ Her fistnded on his jaw instead.


    ¡°Oh!¡±


    Ian fiercely sucked in air through his teeth. Because the sudden spike of pain was so strong, his eyes teared up, but he also let go of her.


    Even Amber couldn¡¯t help but exim in sympathy. It must really have hurt because even her hand hurt, her fingers almost felt like they were broken!


    This was all because her punch had applied force incorrectly and in the wrong position.


    ¡°Hey.¡± She quickly extricated herself from the sofa, and watched on from a few paces away. ¡°I didn¡¯t intentionally try to hit you there. Are you alright?¡±


    Ian nced at her as he rubbed his jaw, his gaze bing more lucid with each passing second. Evidently, the pain had caused his urges to wane.


    Amber rxed, releasing a long breath. ¡°If you feel like something¡¯s wrong with your body, I rmend that you go to the hospital and get a diagnosis. Now, are you finally going to leave?¡±


    She was even chasing him away. Ian was angry enough that he startedughing, no longer caring about the pain. He looked at her dimly. ¡°You¡¯re actually chasing me away?¡±


    ¡°You can think of it that way. After all, given your condition, it isn¡¯t suitable for you to remain here. I already have a boyfriend, so you doing those things to me is hical.¡±


    Boyfriend ¡­ if she hadn¡¯t brought it up, Ian would have forgotten about it. He¡¯d really taken precautions against that toote, given that she even knew to use it as a warning against him.


    How exasperating!


    And his lower jaw was pulsing with pain no, his entire face was pulsating. Thinking back tost night, he said, ¡°You punched me twice.¡±


    Amber was stunned speechless by his rebuttal. ¡°¡­.¡±


    She watched him return to lying down on the sofa. When he stretched his hand out to pull the quilt back over himself, he noticed that his shirt sleeves were shorter than usual, so he lifted his arm and looked at it quizzically.


    ¡°Whose clothes are these?¡± He smelled them gingerly and his frown deepened. ¡°Where are mine?¡±N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    The expression of disdain on his face was so evident that Amber couldn¡¯t help but suspect that the clothes that her mother had found for him were ones that Ruby had worn but hadn¡¯t washed yet.


    And then she saw him, without hesitation, start to unbutton his shirt and remove his clothes. Amber instantly turned away. ¡°My mother¡¯sing back soon.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Ian continued unabated after already having removed his shirt, which revealed his pale and well toned upper body. He looked at her, and then a rustling sounding from within the quilt, he was obviously taking off his pants too.


    Amber couldn¡¯t bear it anymore. ¡°Can¡¯t you wait even a minute? Let me see if your clothes are dry.¡±


    She walked to the balcony and saw that Ian¡¯s clothes were indeed hanging up there. But since they had been hand washed, they were still dripping wet. Her hardworking mother couldn¡¯t stand having piles of dirtyundry in the house, so she must have washed them in the morning before she left.


    But she had forgotten to dry them ¡­ so was he going to end up naked in front of her mother again? Amber already felt a headache forming.


    It was precisely this sort of thing that Ian didn¡¯t care about at all. It wasn¡¯t that he was shameless, but rather that he just didn¡¯t care at all about what other people thought, because his ownfort was the most important thing to him from this perspective, the fact that he had been able to suppress his urges for so long was amazing to Amber.


    Andst night, all of his repressed desires had probably exploded forth, his actions no longer under the control of his reason. In other words, Ian had been acting purely on instinctst night.


    After this thought popped into her head, Amber decided to treat him a bit better, but this decisionsted only until she reentered the living room. The first thing she saw was Ian, utterly naked and exposed to the air after having left the confines of his quilt.


    At least his back was facing her. He was standing there, meticulously inspecting his body for any anomalies. When he heard her approaching, he turned around.


    Amber swiftly raised her hand to cover her eyes, turned around to avoid looking at him at all, and said, ¡°Do you really have to behave in such an exaggerated way?¡±


    Ian¡¯s voice was fierce. ¡°I have a rash on my body.¡±


    Amber helplessly said, ¡°¡­ put your clothes on first. I¡¯ll look at it.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t put them on!¡±


    ¡°Then get back into your quilt first!¡±


    ¡°Is that necessary? If I remember correctly, we seem to have already gotten in bed together.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Amber¡¯s mother¡¯s voice suddenly rang out. Before Amber and Ian could even react, they heard her shrill, high decibel yell. ¡°Aaah! Why aren¡¯t you wearing any clothes?!¡±


    Neither Amber and Ian could respond.


    Amber¡¯s house had an entranceway that was separated from the living room by a thick wall, so neither of them had realized that her mother had entered the room earlier.


    And as Amber¡¯s mother entered, she heard Ian and her daughter¡¯s conversation filled with explosive details, so she hurriedly ran inside. The first thing she saw was the iparably and unusually provocative naked body of Ian.


    Her mother was about to copse. ¡°Amber!! Do you want to die?!¡±


    The first precept of the Ambe¡¯s family child rearing method, if someone¡¯s at fault, it¡¯s always your children. Even if someone else started it, it¡¯s still your children¡¯s fault who asked them to provoke others?


    Amber had a premonition that, if she didn¡¯t handle this matter well, she would have a very hard life in the future.

 Chapter 89. DO YOU LIKE MY DAUGHTER?

    At the very least, Ian had enough shame to cover himself up with the quilt when he realized that Amber¡¯s mother was in the room. He was even obedient enough to apologize to her. ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t expect you to be here.¡±


    This time, he really wasn¡¯t wearing anything. Luckily for Amber¡¯s mother, all she saw was his naked backside, but just that was shocking enough already.


    Amber¡¯s mother nced at him, summarily ignored him, took a deep breath, and red at Amber. ¡°Come out here right now!¡±


    Amber looked at Ian, causing thetter to say in a particrly serious tone, ¡°I really do have rashes on my body.¡±


    When Amber and her mother stepped out to the corridor outside, her mother immediately started questioning her. Amber responded, ¡°He has rashes on his body, so he took off his clothes to see how serious it was.¡±


    Her mother stared at her in annoyance. ¡°Do you think that I¡¯m an idiot? Even if he has rashes, would he have to strip naked for you to look at him?¡±


    Amber blinked innocently. ¡°We had to conduct a thorough inspection.¡±


    Her mother was so angry she began to yell incoherently. ¡°Thorough ¡­ are the two of you thoroughly crazy?!¡±


    Somehow, she had hit the nail on its head. Amber nodded seriously. ¡°Actually, he is, so please don¡¯t mind what he does too much. He¡¯s somewhat abnormal in the head.¡±


    Amber was truly speaking her true thoughts, even if her mother didn¡¯t believe her. But her mother pointed at her head and said, ¡°I think that your head¡¯s also abnormal! Make him leave! Make him leave quickly!¡± As her mother said this, she clutched her chest whenever she thought about that scene just now, she felt like her eyes were really going to go blind from shock.


    Amber also wanted Ian to leave as quickly as possible, but the key problem was ¡­ ¡°Erm, he doesn¡¯t have any clothes to wear. Brother¡¯s clothes are too short for him.¡±


    In their family, both her father and her brother were shorter than Ian, so naturally, they didn¡¯t have any clothes that would fit him.


    At this point, Amber¡¯s mother was so angry that she was about to burst out intoughter. ¡°So there¡¯s nothing you can do, is there?¡±


    She ran inside the living room angrily, preparing to roll up her sleeves and chase Ian out of the house herself, dolts could only be dealt with by force! But when she entered the room, she heard Ian making a call, ¡°Send me a set of clothes. Yes, right now. I¡¯ll send you the address.¡±


    Once Ian finished making the call and saw that Ian¡¯s mother had entered the room, he lowered his body and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I might need to bother you for a little while more.¡±


    He was quite handsome, so when he said these courteous words with his eyes lowered, it could almost make one forget all the unreasonable things that he had done.


    Amber mother¡¯s anger was immediately halved, and her voice softened. ¡°It¡¯s not that I want to chase you out, but ¡­ do you realize that your actions have been highly inappropriate?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The feeling he gave to others was still very cold, but now, it was a charming coldness, like a white lotus blooming on a snowy mountaintop.


    Last time, Amber¡¯s mother had been angry and shocked that she hadn¡¯t looked at him that carefully. This time, however, when she looked closely, she noticed that the fellow actually looked quite handsome, no wonder her normally obedient daughter would secretly defy her for him.


    She gradually rxed and then asked, ¡°How long have you been dating my daughter for?¡±


    Ian raised his head and vigorously shook it. ¡°Sorry, we¡¯re not dating.¡±


    At this moment, Amber quickly interjected, ¡°Mom, I already told you this. He¡¯s not my boyfriend.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Ian added on, still in a cool tone, but with an additional tinge of grievance.


    Amber¡¯s mother twisted her head around to re at her daughter, the meaning in her eyes particrly obvious, step to the side and stop talking nonsense! She turned back around and kept talking to Ian. ¡°If you¡¯re not my daughter¡¯s boyfriend, then what¡¯s your rtionship with her?¡±N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    When she entered the house, she had definitely heard him say that the two of them had even been in bed together. That wasn¡¯t a hallucination, was it? Definitely not!


    Ian remained silent, like he was reluctant to say anything.


    Amber, who had been forbidden from ¡®speaking nonsense,¡¯ couldn¡¯t bear it any further. She stepped in and said, ¡°Mom, we¡¯re just friends. Regr friends.¡±


    This time, Ian responded, ncing at Amber as he did so. ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡®My goodness. Is he really trying to paint himself as a white lotus on a tall mountain and me as the evil boss of a crime syndicate?¡¯


    Amber huffed in anger-she didn¡¯t know that Ian was this skilled at acting. She glowered at him as she threatened, ¡°Hey, Mr. Axton, can you speak properly?¡±


    Her mother stared at her. ¡°You¡¯re the one who should speak properly! Go to the side. I didn¡¯t ask you anything!¡±


    Looking back at Ian, she then straightforwardly said, ¡°Do you like my daughter?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t dislike her.¡±


    Without a doubt, he was speaking the truth he indeed did not dislike Amber. As for like, well, he really just ¡®liked¡¯ her. Unfortunately, her mother thought that Ian was trying to be tactful as there were some things that he didn¡¯t dare to say. She sighed, andfortingly said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll have Amber make it up to you.¡±


    Amber made an ¡®orz¡¯ expression on her face [TL: ¡®orz¡¯ looks like a person kneeling down with his head on the ground], and finally felt that this misunderstanding couldn¡¯t be allowed to deepen any further.


    Amber stretched out her hand and pulled her mother towards her. ¡°Mom,e here. I¡¯ll exin everything to you.¡±


    But Ian reacted quickly and smiled coolly as he said, ¡°Mrs. Lauder, actually, nothing much happened. We¡¯re truly not in a rtionship, and she owed me nothing. The first time we met, something happened that shouldn¡¯t have, but that was my fault.¡±


    Amber was about to explode. ¡°What do you mean something happened that shouldn¡¯t have?! Nothing happened, alright?¡±


    Ian nced at her casually, nodding. ¡°Oh.¡±


    Amber¡¯s mouth was open, but she had no response to give. ¡°¡­.¡±

 Chapter 90. ANOTHER BOYFRIEND

    Evidently, Amber¡¯s mother couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore, and started scolding her loudly. ¡°I told you not to talk. Don¡¯t you understand?!¡±


    After that she looked at Ian again, her tone as amiable as could be. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I said that she would make it up to you, and she will. As forst night, why did youe looking for Amber sote at night?¡±


    Ian was silent, and only after a little while did he say, ¡°Actually, I have nothing. I also don¡¯t know how I ended up here.¡± Looking towards her mother, he said, ¡°And again, I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t intentionally strip in front of you. I really am having an allergic reaction. Look.¡±


    As he said this, he stretched out his hand. The wrist he revealed did have arge lump of red rashes; because his skin was white and he¡¯d been scratched himself, it was particrly striking.


    Amber¡¯s mother believed him with absolute certainty now. She stood up and said, ¡°It really does look quite serious. Sit down, and I¡¯ll get some medicine for you. It will get better in no time. Youe too, help Mom take a look if this medicine is fine.¡±


    Thest sentence was directed at Amber. Disregarding her willingness, Amber¡¯s mother pulled her into another room and closed the door. The first words out of her mouth were, ¡°I don¡¯t know when you became like this. How can you be so wild with intimate rtionships?¡±


    And then she asked, ¡°Do you really have another boyfriend?¡±


    Amber was still trying to process the situation, speechless. ¡°¡­..¡±


    She couldn¡¯tugh or cry. ¡°Mom, can you not cause more trouble? The rtionship I have with him isn¡¯t what you think it is. I promise.¡±


    ¡°You promise? Last time, you even promised to break up with him. But, what was the result? Through the video call, your father and I clearly saw that he pounced on you as soon as he entered! And,st night, old grandfather Li even told us that, in the middle of the night, you ran downstairs to be intimate with him!


    Amber, if you¡¯re unwilling to admit what your rtionship with him is because of our objection, that¡¯s nothing. Last time, your dad also convinced me that you younger generation will do fine even without my supervision. Given your age, it¡¯s also normal for you to get a boyfriend.


    I just think that he¡¯s a bit dazed. But after looking at him again today, I guess he¡¯s alright, a bit empty headed, but he does truly like you. If the two of you want to get together, then that¡¯s fine too. As long as his family¡¯s background is alright and he truly treats you well, then as your parents, we won¡¯t object. So don¡¯t pretend to have another boyfriend to dodge our questions. Really, I¡¯ve seen those twotiming people, and they make my heart worry for them.¡±


    Amber¡¯s mother waved her hand, and in a clearly exhausted voice, she said, ¡°Go out. Go look at his rashes. Tell him that if he¡¯s serious, then we should make ns for our two families to meet and get food together sometime.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Mom, haven¡¯t you changed your mind a bit too quickly?¡±


    Her mother became incensed again. ¡°If we didn¡¯t change our mind, then would we have to wait for you to be pregnant before acknowledging the two of you?¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    A doorbell rang outside. Amber¡¯s mother red at her onest time before walking out.


    Amber followed her out, and somewhat felt exhausted when she saw Ian curled up on the sofa like a mealworm.


    Her mother had gone to open the door when she heard her somewhat forcedughter. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s Calvin? What¡¯re you doing here so early?¡±


    Calvin¡¯s warm voice responded, ¡°Good morning, Auntie. I¡¯m here to bring Amber to work.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Ian tilted his head at her.


    As for Amber, well, she really didn¡¯t know what to do now.


    At this time, she really wanted to make an anonymous forum post ¡°my real boyfriend¡¯s at the door, and he¡¯s about to see my purported boyfriend sleeping in my home. But really, nothing happened. How can I exin the situation to everyone involved? Waiting online, quite urgent!¡±


    Since she didn¡¯t understand the full story, Amber¡¯s mother¡¯s heart was forlorn upon seeing Calvin. This was the perfect son inw for her daughter, capable and thoughtful, possessing a good pedigree, a good education and from abroad, no less! This was someone she¡¯d be proud of bragging about.


    More importantly, he was old ssmates with her daughter, so they knew each other through and through.


    But since her daughter already had Ian, she could only restrain her feelings and say, ¡°Picking up Amber? How could we trouble you to do something like that? Her boyfriend¡¯s already here to pick her up.¡±


    Although Amber couldn¡¯t see Calvin¡¯s face, she could imagine what kind of expression he was making. It was undoubtedly aplicated one, impossible to describe.


    She quickly walked out, already exasperated with her mother. ¡°Mom, what are you saying?¡± And then she looked at Calvin. ¡°Ah, you¡¯re here? Why don¡¯t youe in for now.¡±


    She couldn¡¯t just leave him standing outside, if she did, his questions would only increase.


    Her mother and Calvin both looked at her with very different expressions. Her mother looked like she was ming her, as she probably felt that she was being too intimate with Calvin. But Calvin, on the other hand, was quite calm and was even smiling at her.


    Her mother sighed in her heart again, and she reluctantly opened the shoe cupboard to retrieve a pair of slippers for him. When Calvin walked in and saw Ian, who was draped in a quilt and lying on the sofa, he clearly became flustered. In his confusion, he looked at Amber once again.


    Amber looked back at him hopefully, but he didn¡¯t say anything. With his eyes half closed, he remained silent for a while before putting the things he was carrying on the table.


    They were fruits that he had bought on his way over. There were some farmers growing strawberries by a shed on the roadside. He had seen them and specifically picked them out himself, choosing the freshest ones that were bright, vibrant, and still glistening with morning dew.


    As if her mother was afraid that Calvin¡¯s misunderstanding wasn¡¯t deep enough, she introduced the other man in the room. ¡°This is Ax-¡±


    Ian finished Amber mother¡¯s sentence for her. ¡°Ian Axton.¡±N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    ¡°Right, Ian Axton, Amber¡¯s boyfriend ¡­.¡±

 Chapter 91. THE HEART STARTS TO BEAT

    ¡°Right, Ian Axton, Amber¡¯s boyfriend. Calvin, if you¡¯re here so early, then you must not have eaten yet, right? I¡¯ll go and make something for you to eat.¡± After saying this, Amber¡¯s mother ran to the door to do exactly that.


    The rumors that the neighbors were spreading outside left her incapable of staying in the shop, so after Amber¡¯s mother had finished all her errands in the morning, she used the excuse that she needed to bring her daughter breakfast to go back home and see what Ian and her daughter were up to. But right as she entered, she had been so shocked by what she heard and saw that she hadpletely forgotten about bringing them food.


    Before she could enter the kitchen, Amber¡¯s mother even called her over. ¡°Come help me, quickly. Old Li¡¯s helping too, but I¡¯m afraid that your dad won¡¯t be able to handle the diner on his own.¡±


    Amber looked at Calvin with a somewhat helpless expression, but she still followed her mother into the kitchen.


    As the two of them worked, her mother initially didn¡¯t say anything. But when breakfast was almost ready, she softly said to Amber, ¡°There¡¯s nothing going on between you and Calvin, is there?¡±


    Amber didn¡¯t respond. The situation outside was way tooplex to exin right now, and while her mother was trying to help, she was only making matters worse.


    Her mother clearly misunderstood her and sighed-not to scold her, but to express her sentiments. ¡°I don¡¯t care what you¡¯re nning, but since you¡¯ve already got someone and aren¡¯t nning on ending the rtionship, you should wrap up all your other intentions. Do you hear me?¡±


    As a closing remark, her mother even earnestly said, ¡°In life, what¡¯s most important is knowing when you have enough!¡±


    Amber looked at her mother, her feelingsplicated. After the lecture, all she could say in response was, ¡°¡­ Oh.¡±


    ***


    Breakfast was particrly quiet. Ian ate from the sofa, Amber and Calvin ate at the dining table, and as for Amber¡¯s mother, once breakfast was prepared and her husband called for her, she had left hurriedly.


    Once Amber¡¯s mother left, Ian put down his bowl of soup and used his spoon to pick up a little steamed bun. He ate it slowly as he watched Calvin and Amber.


    Amber was trying her hardest to pretend that he didn¡¯t exist. After a few bites, she felt that the atmosphere in the room was too strange, and she talked to Calvin in an attempt to disperse it. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you were going to go on a business trip for a few days? Why did you end up returning so quickly?¡±


    ¡°After arriving, I realized that they didn¡¯t need me. So, I took the overnight flight back.¡±


    As he exined, his expression was somewhat strange. Amber noticed it and thought that he was still offended by Ian¡¯s presence. To assuage him, she quickly reached out and grabbed his hand. ¡°Calvin, do you trust me?¡±


    Calvin looked at her in a daze.


    ¡°Ian and I really aren¡¯t what you think you¡¯re seeing, I¡¯ll exin it to youter, but for now, will you believe me?¡±


    As she said this, even Amber herself felt pale and feeble. Calvin strove to smile, but was unsessful. He put down his bowl and spoon, rubbed his face, and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I just got off the ne and am still a bit tired. If it¡¯s fine with you, I¡¯m going to leave first. Is that okay?¡±


    Amber stared at him for an indeterminate length of time before finally quietly saying, ¡°Alright.¡±


    Calvin got up very quickly. Amber sent him to the door, and he didn¡¯t even turn around as he left.


    When she returned to the living room, Ian was still nibbling at his little steamed bun. With a casual nce at Amber, he said, ¡°He¡¯s mad.¡±


    ¡°All thanks to you.¡± Thinking about it some more, she sat in front of him and seriously asked, ¡°Mr. Axton, what exactly are you trying to do?¡±


    ¡°I told you already. I want to have sex with you.¡±


    ¡°And besides that?¡±


    ¡°I want to marry you.¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    ¡°As for whether I should marry you first and then have sex with you, or have sex with you first and then marry you, I¡¯m still considering.¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    She took a pillow by the sofa and threw it savagely at him. ¡°What do you mean you¡¯re considering?! Have you ever stopped to consider how I feel? I don¡¯t like you, so I¡¯ve never even considered marrying you! Can you stop thinking about yourself? And it must have been a while since youst had any sexual activity, right?


    As a fully grown adult, if your body is normal, abstinence is harmful to your body. In serious cases, both males and females might experience symptoms such as insomnia, loss of appetite, reclusive and entric behavior, violent tendencies, and so on.


    You should consider releasing your pent up desires appropriately and not just fixate on a single person or a thing, okay?!¡±


    Ian stared at her, his gaze profound.


    She returned the stare fiercely. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Do you not understand?¡±


    Ian asked, ¡°Are you like that?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Do you experience insomnia, loss of appetite, reclusive and entric behavior, or any violent tendencies?¡±


    Originally, out of concern for his feelings, she had tried to be tactful, but he had used those exact words to mock her.


    Amber red at him, a feeling of helplessness washing over her yet again. She shrugged her hands, toozy to say any more, and got up to wash the dishes.


    She only had one notion in her mind now: to hurry up and tell Nancy that she was of humble talent and shallow learning; that surely she couldn¡¯t treat this fellow.


    Behind her, Ian was still looking at her back, and he was unable to stop himself from clutching at his chest. When he heard her say that she didn¡¯t like him and that she wasn¡¯t nning on marrying him, he had felt his chest suddenly start throbbing.N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    It was an indescribable and strange feeling, as if the blood coursing through his heart was overheating, or as if someone was gently, subtly, and incessantly poking him with a needle.


    It hurt so much that he couldn¡¯t calm down.

 Chapter 92. GIFTS AND UNEXPECTED VISIT

    Amber didn¡¯t want to face Ian right now, so she started to slowly clean up the dining table. Once she felt like her emotions had settled back to normal, she went out again.


    Ian was curled up in his quilt and sitting there like an old monk deep in meditation. When he saw Amber enter the room, he opened his eyes and asked, ¡°What¡¯s your house number?¡±


    Amber had originally decided to ignore all his words, but when she heard this question, she could only stifle her indignation and answer.


    Ian picked up his phone to make another call. Not long after, the doorbell rang again. Amber opened the door, and, as expected, someone was here with Ian¡¯s clothes. It was Mr. Charlie, who had driven them to Elly¡¯s hometown.


    He was carrying arge pile of misceneous things, including quite a number of bags. Seeing Amber, he smiled, removed a bag, and then gave the rest to her. ¡°These are presents that old Mr. and Mrs. Axton have prepared for you, to make up for Mr. Ian¡¯s inconvenience.¡±


    Amber didn¡¯t know what to say.


    She twisted her head around to look at Ian, who was sitting upright and still. He maintained an impassive expression, ignoring Amber¡¯s questioning nce.


    With Ian refusing to intervene, Amber could only say to Mr. Charlie, ¡°Please take these things back. Old Mr. and Mrs. Axton are too polite. I can¡¯t ept these gifts.¡±


    Mr. Charlie  had already walked in and given the bag of clothes to Ian, and he smiled upon hearing her words. ¡°I don¡¯t have any choice either. Old Mr. Axton told me that even if you refuse to take them, I¡¯m not allowed to bring them back. Dr. Camille, please don¡¯t make things difficult for me.¡±


    After saying this, he immediately left. Without any other choice, Amber could only say to Ian, ¡°These gifts ¡­.¡±


    But before she could finish speaking, she quickly turned around again. Ian, the shameless prick, had just tossed his quilt aside and shamelessly started changing his clothes without any misgivings whatsoever.


    Amber flew into a rage. ¡°Can¡¯t you cover yourself up a little?¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± he responded simply before meandering in a circle in front of her and then finally entering the bathroom.


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    Amber didn¡¯t know what to say anymore. Once he entered, she went through the gifts that she had been given. They weren¡¯t too expensive, and, perhaps it was because they knew Amberi¡¯s parents worked in a diner, but the gifts mainly consisted of seafood that could be used to make stock-Amber had even seen some of them in her parents¡¯ diner before.


    No one in Ian¡¯s family was simple to deal with; even their gifts were carefully selected so that people couldn¡¯t find a reason to refuse them.


    Once Ian had changed clothes, Amber asked him, ¡°Why don¡¯t you bring these back with you?¡±


    He stood in front of her without looking at the gifts. After quietly staring at her for a long time, he finally said, ¡°Are you worried that if you take these things, you¡¯ll be entangled with us?¡±


    ¡°No. I only feel that I shouldn¡¯t receive these for having done nothing.¡±


    Ian lowered his head, rolled up his sleeves, and coolly replied, ¡°Then think of it as the fee for letting me stay overst night.¡±


    After saying that, he prepared to leave.


    However, as he did so, Amber called him back. ¡°You still have clothes-¡±


    As she said this, he kept walking, but before she could finish speaking, the door was mmed shut in her face.


    Some timeter, Amber realized that Ian had been angry, but she couldn¡¯t fathom why.


    Amber wasn¡¯t sure what had caused it, and she didn¡¯t want to think about it either. She didn¡¯t have to go to the hospital in the afternoon, but she still had sses at that time. If she didn¡¯t leave now, she would bete.


    She rode the bus to campus, which shook over and over on the bumpy road. In the meantime, she tried to call Calvin, but he didn¡¯t pick up and instead replied with a terse text message. ¡°Something came up. I¡¯ll call youter.¡±


    Amber looked at his message, sighed silently, and then called Nancy. She had originally wanted to discuss Ian¡¯s case with her, but it turned out that Nancy was also on a trip, and she would only return after two days.


    Thus, Amber could only discard her thoughts about him and focus on teaching and working. When she had time, she would ponder Elly¡¯s illness. She currently had two very troublesome patients: Ian Axton, she¡¯d already decided to get rid of, but she very much wished to cure Elly. Not only because she¡¯d promised Calvin that she would do so, but also because this was the only way that she could prove to herself that she hadn¡¯tpletely failed as a doctor.


    ***


    That day, after Amber had got out of a meeting, the head nurse told her, ¡°There¡¯s a prettydy looking for you. I told her to wait in your office.¡±


    Amber thanked her and went back to her office. The first thing she saw as she entered was a well behaved back sitting upright and facing away from the door. When that person heard the door open, she turned around, her face showing a slight smile.


    ¡°Dr. Camille.¡± She stood up, greeting her.


    It was that colleague of Calvin¡¯s, Melody.


    Amber was a bit surprised, not because she hade to find her, but rather because her condition seemed to have improved considerably. Even though it had only been a few days since Amber had seen her, she no longer looked as gloomy, and even her eyes had brightened up considerably.


    Amber nodded back, and then asked Melody how she was doing, as if she were an old friend. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you call me beforeing over?¡± Then, she put her documents down, she asked, ¡°Would you like something to drink?¡±


    ¡°Do you have coffee?¡±


    Amber smiled. ¡°I rmend water instead. It¡¯s better for you.¡±


    ¡°Doctor, it¡¯s not that you don¡¯t have any coffee, is it?¡± Melody was even making jokes now. Her tone was a bit pampered, but at least, she hadn¡¯t gotten mad from her demands not being met.


    ¡°Haha, you¡¯re right. So do you want a ss of water?¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Amber poured her a ss, and then one for herself as well. She looked at Melody as shemented, ¡°Yourplexion looks much better.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because ¡­.¡± Melody rubbed the ss in her hands and smiled lightly as she drew out the words in her answer. ¡°I also found a very beautiful boy.¡±N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.

 Chapter 93. HE’S MY BOYFRIEND NOW

    ¡°I also found a very beautiful boy.¡±


    Amber raised her eyebrows in surprise. ¡°Really? Then, congrattions.¡±


    For patients suffering from depression, being able to fall in love and having someone to look after them was a very good thing. Amber was truly quite happy for her, even if she thought that the speed at which Melody had found love was somewhat fast. But in modern society, a fateful encounter that led to romance could take ce in the blink of an eye.


    Melody asked, ¡°Doctor, will you be happy for me?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Amber answered with a nod. ¡°In the future, you have to continue telling yourself that you¡¯ll get even better. There¡¯ll be many more wonderful experiences for you to discover in life.¡±


    Melody stared at Amber with a focused gaze for some time before she cryptically said, ¡°Doctor, you¡¯re a good person.¡± She then stood up and politely said, ¡°I¡¯m going to leave now. I came here today to thank you. If not for what you said that day, then I really might have dug myself into a dead end.¡±


    Amber smiled. ¡°No problem. It¡¯s your own strong will that dug yourself out of there .¡±


    She got up to send Melody to the door. But right before Melody was about to step out, she suddenly paused, her hand on the door handle but not making a move.


    Amber found it somewhat odd, and carefully called out to her. ¡°Miss Melody?¡±


    Melody turned her head around and abruptly asked, ¡°Dr. Camille, what happened with you and the boy you met?¡±


    Was she trying to find strength from her? Amber smiled. ¡°Em, he¡¯s my boyfriend now.¡±


    Melody raised her head to look at her again. Amber thought that her gaze was a bit strange; it felt like she was very interested in her story and that she also wanted to try to do the same.


    At that moment, Amber thought that Melody¡¯s longing gaze was because she also wanted to get together with the beautiful boy she¡¯d met. But not long after that, Amber found out that she was wrong.


    Nothing was as she¡¯d thought it was.


    After Melody left, Amber thought of Calvin again and sent him another message. ¡°Just now, your colleague Melody came to talk to me.¡±


    Almost instantaneously, Calvin called her, even though he hadn¡¯t picked up any of her calls that day. He sounded particrly anxious. ¡°She went to find you? Did she say anything ¡­ bad?¡±


    Was he concerned about her? Amber smiled. ¡°How could she? Unless you think I look like someone easy to bully?¡±


    Calvin didn¡¯t speak. Amber softly asked, ¡°Are you not angry anymore?¡±


    Calvin responded, ¡°Yes.¡± After a pause, he said, ¡°I know what sort of person you are, so I believe you.¡±


    If he really believed her, then he wouldn¡¯t have ignored her calls for a few days in a row. But Amber was willing to let it slide as long as he thought it through in the end; who didn¡¯t have a bit of a temper? It was ok as long as it wasn¡¯t excessive.


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Really.¡±


    Amber smiled. ¡°Alright. Since you¡¯re being so obedient, I¡¯ll treat you to dinner tonight, ok?¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    After hanging up, Amber pondered what she should make for dinner today. When she thought about it, this was their first real date after their rtionship started, so she had to do a good job.


    Calvin liked rustic vors, so she decided to make dinner by hand. She also nned toter exin to him what was going on between her and Ian. Despite his saying that he believed her, Amber didn¡¯t want to leave a twisted knot inside of his heart.


    Between two people, an appropriate level of trust was also a type of respect.


    ***


    After she got off of work, Amber went out of her way to buy a europe style cook book along with some vegetables. She was nning on making a candlelit dinner with red wine and steak. Given how long Calvin had been overseas for, he would probably enjoy it immensely.


    But as soon as she returned home with her supplies, without even having any time to change out of her shoes, she received a call from Nancy. ¡°Ian¡¯s sick. Did you know that?¡±


    Amber was slightly shocked. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°He went down with a serious flu as well as an allergic reaction. He¡¯s only half alive right now. If there¡¯s nothing urgent right now, then you should go over and see him. I¡¯m flying back right now, and I¡¯ll be there early in the morning tomorrow.¡±


    Nancy¡¯s tone was unusually solemn; clearly, there was more to Ian¡¯s illness than just that.


    But as soon as the call ended, the doorbell rang. And on the monitor appeared Calvin¡¯s youthful and gentle face, smiling at her through the screen.


    Amber opened the door and Calvin entered, hugging her before saying, ¡°I missed you so much. Even if I get mad in the future, I won¡¯t ever ignore you again. It wasn¡¯t as much a punishment for you, as it was one for me.¡± He then lowered his head and looked at the ingredients by her feet, smiling. ¡°Steak? Do you need any help?¡±


    But when he saw Amber¡¯s look, he asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Amber opened her mouth, but nothing came out.


    Calvin released her. ¡°Did somethinge up?¡±


    This was the first time she had ever truly been at a loss for words. ¡°Calvin,¡± She grasped his hands and strugglingly pushed out, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I can¡¯t have dinner with you today.¡±


    Calvin chuckled lightheartedly. ¡°You really scared me with your severe look and everything. It¡¯s just a meal. What¡¯s the big deal? Is Elly acting up again?¡±


    ¡°Not her.¡±


    ¡°Then it¡¯s the hospital, right? Don¡¯t worry, I can cook too. I¡¯ll send it over to you once it¡¯s done, alright?¡±


    After Calvin said this, he was about to grab the ingredients and start cooking when Amber stopped him again. ¡°It¡¯s not the hospital.¡± She exhaled and steeled himself. Originally, she had nned to tell him all the details about what was going on between her and Ian.


    But given the situation, while she couldn¡¯t exin it right now, she also didn¡¯t want to hide anything from him. ¡°My professor just called me, saying that Ian¡¯s ill. She¡¯s not here, so she wants me to go and look after him.¡±N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    Calvin paused before asking, ¡°Really? What illness?¡±


    ¡°A severe cold and a serious allergic reaction.¡±


    Calvin smiled wryly. ¡°Can you treat those things? As I recall, you¡¯re a psychiatrist.¡±

 Chapter 94. A CUTE WEAKNESS

    ¡°Calvin ¡­ this isn¡¯t about whether I can treat him or not. He got sick after leaving my ce, and his allergic reaction also first started at my ce. Thus, as my professor¡¯s sponsor, and with her request, I really do have to go and see how he¡¯s doing.¡±


    ¡°Is it really just that?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Calvin looked at her, and Amber looked back at him, her gazepletely devoid of evasion or hesitation.N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    He finally released her. ¡°Alright. Then go ande back quickly.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± She smiled and consoling said, ¡°I¡¯ll do my best to return early. If you¡¯re hungry, then you should order something to eat. There¡¯s a Chinese restaurant near my ce that makes great beef dishes, I¡¯ll give you their numberter. If you¡¯re bored, you can also read some books or watch TV. I¡¯ll be gone for a bit and will be back quickly.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Amber turned around to head out, but just as her hand touched the door knob, Calvin hugged her from behind. ¡°I really don¡¯t want you to go. What should I do?¡±


    She didn¡¯t respond, and instead gently leaned into his caress,fortingly rubbing the back of his hand as she did so.


    She knew that he wasn¡¯t someone who would endlessly pester her. Sure enough, after a short but intense hug, Calvin let go of her. Amber turned around, reached up on her tiptoes, and then kissed him lightly on the cheek. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    He shook his head and lightly caressed her lips as he lovingly replied, ¡°Go. I¡¯ll wait for you.¡±


    Amber smiled, eventually turning to leave.


    ***


    Bathed by the bright and resplendentmplight, Amber was waiting for a bus by the side of the road when she saw a roadside food cart selling scones. Even from a distance, the crispy, golden brown toasted scones emanated an enticing aroma.


    It had been a very long time since Amber hadst eaten something like that. She used to eat them every so often back when she was a senior in highschool. Whenever she studiedte into the night, she would walk back home with Calvin. It was often sote that the roads would be empty.


    They would slowly stroll back, and at the halfway point, they would always see a young man pushing a food cart and selling scones. Amber would always buy two without fail, and then eat them side by side with Calvin, the two of them basking in the lovely scent of the scones.


    Even long after she had graduated from high school, Amber would dream of their scent.


    She walked over, bought quite a number in one go, took two out for herself, and then packed the rest away in a bag, which she gave to the security guard office nearby. ¡°Could you please help me find someone to bring this back to my ce?¡±


    The security guard was familiar with Amber, so he readily agreed without any questions.


    Amber then got on the bus with her two scones. Nancy had sent her Ian¡¯s address, it wasn¡¯t the one in Axton Hotel or the Axton¡¯s manor. Rather, it led to a small area that had a very homely feeling.


    It was a bit far away. When Amber left, it was only six. However, it was already eight when she arrived. She called Ian twice, but he didn¡¯t pick up either time.


    So with no other choice, Amber called Nancy, who said, ¡°Give me a moment.¡±


    After a while, Amber received a four digit number with the description, ¡°This is the passcode to his main door. He¡¯s at home, and you can just enter. If the inner door is locked, then just bash it open. There¡¯s no problem even if you break it.


    Amber started sweating and nervously asked Nancy, ¡°Is this really alright?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Don¡¯t worry about it. I just called his grandfather, and he told me that Ian only started not picking up anyone¡¯s calls recently.¡±


    ¡°Is there anyone else inside?¡±


    ¡°No. This is one of the quirks of our dear Director Axton, he doesn¡¯t like there to be anyone besides him in his house. But I believe that you¡¯ll definitely find a way to stay there.¡±


    Amber was speechless. She didn¡¯t know where Nancy had found so much confidence. Amber herself had no expectations because she didn¡¯t know what Ian would end up doing.


    Without any helpers, the stress was a bit overwhelming.


    After exhaling slowly to calm herself down, Nancy stepped forward. This area seemed low profile, but the security was quite strict. Amber reported Ian¡¯s name and house number, and even had to take out her ID to register her visit before she could obtain a temporary pass to enter themunity.


    Ian¡¯s house was in the innermost region of the area. It was a small stand alone bungalow with its own wall and backyard. As Amber walked up, she didn¡¯t see a single light on inside. When she got to the door, she first pressed the doorbell, but no one answered. Then she used the passcode that Nancy had given her to open the front door.


    After stepping inside, she found that the house was silent, and it was lit solely by a little wallmp on the other side of the main corridor. As she followed the light, she found that the living room¡¯s door was half closed, which she then pushed open lightly.


    It opened smoothly, so silent that even Amber was surprised. Luckily, the living room was bright and well lit. When the door opened, the first thing she heard was her own voice. ¡°¡­ little fox, I like you!¡± And then she saw Ian, asleep on the sofa with his head tilted towards the sofa and a trailing hand touching the ground.


    Her own unfamiliar voice reverberated inside the room. Then, a voice echoed from behind. ¡°I like you too.¡±


    And then it kept repeating the same story about the little rabbit liking the little fox. She had recorded many stories inside that device; it seemed like this was the one that he liked best.


    Amber stood at the door, hesitating about whether she should first enter and look around, or whether she should wait around for him to wake up. Suddenly, as if he had sensed something, Ian turned around. His jaw dragged on the sofa, but he still managed to look at the door.


    Amber felt a sudden sense of anxiety ovee her. She exined, ¡°Sorry, your door was unlocked ¡­ may I enter?¡±


    Ian maintained his original posture, not moving or speaking. He merely continued to watch her silently.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll assume that you¡¯re ok with it.¡± Amber walked inside. Only when she got closer did she realize that he was visibly thinner, and hisplexion was sallow. Nheless, he was still very tidy and clean shaven.


    He looked weak, as if he¡¯d just woken up, and his eyes were still bleary with sleep. This created a bit of an innocent aura about him, stripping him of his usual aloof attitude and recing it with a bit of cuteness instead.


    He seemed like a big, sickly dog lying pitifully on the ground, waiting for his owner to pat him on the head.

 Chapter 95. [UNTITLED]

    Even Amber was a bit scared by her own thoughts. She coughed quietly and softly asked, ¡°Are you feeling okay? Have you taken any medicine?¡± She put down the things in her hands and continued, saying, ¡°I¡¯ll give you a checkup, alright?¡±


    Ian was still looking at her, as if he was trying to confirm whether or not the person standing in front of him was real. After a while, he finally said, ¡°I remember the front door being locked.¡±


    Amber started sweating, but she still nodded in response and said, ¡°It was locked, but I have the passcode.¡±


    His forehead scrunched up slightly as he turned around and slowly sat up to look at her. Amber noticed that his body was very weak; even this simple action caused him to start breathing heavily.


    She stretched out her hand, preparing to help him, but he shoved it away in rejection despite the pain. He closed his eyes and rested by leaning against the sofa for quite a while before asking in a tired tone, ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    ¡°I heard that you were sick, so I¡¯m here to see you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve seen me. Now leave.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Axton ¡­.¡¯


    He opened his eyes,pletely lucid by this point. His gaze held a familiar disaffection, reminiscent of his look the first time they had met; under that cold examining gaze, anyone would feel like a worthless speck of dust.


    ¡°Scram!¡± His voice wasn¡¯t loud, and a sense of fatigue could be heard within it. ¡°¡­ It¡¯s dirty now.¡±


    Amber looked at her own pair of shoes she had indeed forgotten to take off her shoes when entering the house. The main problem was that she hadn¡¯t even seen a shoe cab. Additionally, she was anxious to ascertain his condition, so she hadn¡¯t even thought about this normal courtesy.


    Realizing that she had unintentionally triggered one of his pet peeves, Amber put on an extremely apologetic tone. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t see a pair of slippers that I could change into ¡­.¡±


    A pillow came flying at her, and along with it, a very familiar recording device. The pillow harmlessly fell by her feet, but the recording device bounced off of her leg, ultimatelying to a rest on the underside of the coffee table. Her voice hummed out from within. ¡°The little rabbit secretly fell in love with a little fox ¡­.¡±


    When Ian realized that he had identally thrown the wrong thing at her, he got even angrier. ¡°Scram!¡± he shouted, panting. When he saw that his shout had no effect on Amber, another pillow came flying at her. Actually, if there were enough items by his side, Amber believed that he would have thrown them all without hesitation.


    The look in his eyes was very scary, heavy and gloomy. She had only seen him for a couple of minutes, but the evident weakness that he had shown while she was by the door seemed like a mirage, which hadpletely evaporated.


    His loss of control came even quicker. Almost immediately after running out of things to throw, he exploded. He grabbed his head with both hands and shouted hoarsely, ¡°Scram! Scram immediately!¡±


    Amber immediately took off her shoes and walked closer, barefoot. She had nned on consoling him gently, but he forcefully shook her off. Even while weakened, Ian¡¯s strength was way beyond what she could contend with, and she was pushed away before she could get any closer, almost falling down.


    Amber took a deep breath, about to try again, when a voice suddenly called out to her from the door. ¡°Dr. Camille!¡±


    Amber turned around to see Ian¡¯s grandparents by the door.N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    She nced back at Ian, who was cradling his head in pain, and then walked out.


    It wasn¡¯t just Ian¡¯s grandparents standing outside, there were also a few doctors in white coats that hade along with them. One of them was particrly old, likely someone who had been specifically called over.


    Indeed, Ian¡¯s grandfather introduced him as such. ¡°This is Dr. Benny from the central hospital. The reason we weren¡¯t here just now is because we were specially entreating him toe over.¡±


    And then he introduced Amber to Dr. Benny, saying, ¡°This is Dr. Nancy¡¯s student, Dr. Camille.¡±


    Amber knew of a very famous old general practitioner in the central hospital who was also called Dr. Benny. Most likely, he was the man standing in front of her. Because he was an esteemed senior, Amber still politely greeted him despite her rush. ¡°I¡¯m honored to have the opportunity to meet you.¡±


    Dr. Benny was a kindly man, and he smiled at her briefly. Because of the asion, the two didn¡¯t have any time to exchange pleasantries.


    Ian¡¯s grandmother was even more rushed than she was, once Amber had finished greeting them, she pulled on her hand and anxiously and quietly asked, ¡°What do we do? Ian¡¯s been locked up in here for a few days and he hasn¡¯t eaten anything in that time. When we came over in the evening to check on him, he was still running a high fever, and his skin was red and blotchy all over. He refuses to see a doctor, he refuses to take medicine, and he refuses to let us touch him. What do we do?¡±


    Amber patted her hand reassuringly and asked, ¡°When did you discover that he was sick?¡±


    ¡°Just today. Someone from the office was looking for him but couldn¡¯t get into contact him, so they called us instead. We searched all over town for him before we ultimately found out that he had fallen ill and locked himself in here.¡±


    ¡°We want to enter, but given his condition, can we?¡±


    Upon hearing their tone, it seemed as if something like this had also happened in the past. Thus, this time, not only did they call Dr. Benny over, but they also had Nancy call Amber over too.


    Amber then asked, ¡°Did he behave the same way when he wasst ill?¡±

 Chapter 96. SHE IS A GERM

    ¡°¡­ Yes.¡± Ian¡¯s grandmother nced at her husband before hesitatingly answering, and then she hurriedly exined, ¡°He has a very strong cleanlinessplex, which intensifies when he¡¯s ill. It¡¯s so severe that almost no one else can touch him because he ims that they¡¯re all dirty.¡±


    It was understandable, and amon physiological symptom of patients suffering from emotional detachment. Amber¡¯s medical books contained a case study with patients suffering from the exact same problem.


    She had originally thought that Ian¡¯s strong willpower would allow him to ovee his desire for cleanliness, but she didn¡¯t expect his cold rationality to be so easily destroyed by illness.


    But when she reexamined this situation again, her actions did seem to have been a bit too excessive that day. Despite knowing that he had contracted a cold and was possibly also having an allergic reaction, she had reacted to his provocations and lost control. In the end, she had even ignored all his symptoms and was going to let him leave just like that.


    After taking a deep breath, Amber rolled up her sleeves. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll find a way so that at the very least, Dr. Benny can help inspect his condition.¡± As she said this, she looked at the doctors standing behind Dr. Benny. They were all very young, clearly, Ian¡¯s grandparents had nned on using force if Ian refused to cooperate. ¡°I hope that it won¡¯t be necessary for you guys to handle the situation, so give me a bit of time, alright?¡±


    Ian¡¯s grandfather and the rest immediately nodded. Amber smiled, turned around, opened the door, and went back inside. Before she entered, she lifted her feet and removed even her socks-the corridors outside looked clean, but who knew if Ian thought the same.


    Amber also removed her outer jacket. Inside, she was wearing a sweater with a simrly colored long skirt; the whole outfit entuated her figure, making her look particrly slim and graceful. She was usually fond of this style of clothing because it was bothfortable and warm, but she was regretting it a little now because her skirt might make the next couple of actions a bit difficult.


    As she rolled her sleeves up, she turned around and asked, ¡°Did you guys bring any food?¡±


    Ian¡¯s grandmother immediately said, ¡°Yes, yes.¡± A young man walked up to Amber with a massive lunchbox. Amber opened it and peered inside, satisfied.


    She took the lunchbox, closed the door, and walked inside. When psychiatrists treated their patients, they tended to iste themselves to ensure that there would be no distractions and that the patients¡¯ privacy would be protected. Naturally, this meant that she didn¡¯t n on letting people observe her.


    Ian had already stopped throwing things around and he seemed to have calmed down, but his gaze remained cruel. Amber felt that, if not for his enervating hunger and illness shaving away at most of his vitality, he would have thrown her out of the house as if she were a piece of garbage.


    At this point, he had almostpletely forgotten that he had once told her that he wanted to woo her despite his straightforward confession of wanting to have sex with her.


    In his eyes, perhaps she was no more than a germ, a human sized germ that he abhorred with all his being.


    Amber stooped down halfway. She first picked up the recording device that was under the coffee table, turned down its volume, and then opened the lunchbox.


    Ian¡¯s grandparents really did love him, and their love could clearly be seen in the food that they had prepared, particrly refined and meticulously made. It even took his feeble physical condition into ount: most of the dishes were supposed to be good for the body and easily digested.


    There wasn¡¯t much of each dish, but everything looked wonderfully delectable.


    Ignoring his gaze, Amber brought out a bowl of yam and jujube porridge. As soon she lifted the cap covering it, a delicate fragrance filled the room. Amber had only eaten two scones that night, so as soon as this enticing aroma wafted towards her, her hunger pangs became painfully clear. Her craving for food was so great that it felt like her heart and lungs were aching with desire.From N?velDrama.Org.


    She put the bowl of porridge down on the coffee table in front of the desk and lightly stirred it. ¡°Mmm, it smells quite fragrant. Do you want some?¡±


    Ian didn¡¯t move at all, only continuing to stare at her coldly.


    Amber ignored hisck of reaction. Instead, she picked up one of the pillows that had fallen on the floor and sat on it before leisurely starting to eat the porridge. The lunchbox had more than enough food to spare, and since Ian wouldn¡¯t be able to finish everything, it wouldn¡¯t matter if she had some.


    Amber ate in a particrly alluring manner, even smacking her lips every few bites. As she ate, she praised the food. ¡°Yum, it¡¯s really tasty.¡± She smiled at Ian and asked, ¡°Do you want to try some?¡±


    Her expression made Ian want to beat her up.


    Amber felt like Ian¡¯s gaze was getting even gloomier. If she looked closely enough, she would have seen his eyes about to burn up from anger.


    When she was almost done with the porridge, she brought out another dish: stir fried meat with sauteed celery. To Amber, this dish was pretty light, but it must have been something that Ian particrly liked, because she could clearly see him swallowing his saliva.


    Even the craziest person in the world had to eat.

 Chapter 97. I DON’T HAVE ANY FEELINGS

    ¡°Do you want to eat it?¡± Amber picked up arge piece and waved it temptingly under his nose. She even lightly teased, ¡°I remember telling you that the nature of clean freaks is to like dirty things. Last time, you ate the sweet potatoes that I peeled, and how dirty they were! Buried in the ground, plucked from a damp and dark environment with earthworms and bugs crawling all around but didn¡¯t you still enjoy it nheless?¡±


    She pushed the food on the coffee table closer to him,mandingly saying, ¡°Try some.¡±


    It was already right next to his mouth; if Ian merely opened his mouth, he¡¯d be able to eat it. However, he didn¡¯t. Besides his frown deepening and his gaze turning even colder, Ian remained stoic.


    But ack of reaction was in and of itself a reaction, so Amber kept going. ¡°Do you think that I¡¯m being particrly annoying right now? Then eat. Only if you eat and regain your vitality can you throw me out, and remove my annoying presence from your eyes.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Ian red at her for another period of time before suddenly opening his mouth and biting down fiercely on the chopsticks. Then, he ¡­ he sucked in a breath, evidently having hurt himself from biting down too hard.


    Amber tried to stop herself fromughing outright as he stared at her fiercely.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯m sorry. Laughing at someone else is wrong, but you canugh at me too. Once, I was so hungry that I even started chewing on my own fingertips.¡± After saying this, she brought him another dish. After he finished it, she took out a bowl of fish porridge and ced it by his side. He didn¡¯t take it, so Amber had to move next to him and feed him with adle.


    Thankfully, he didn¡¯t reject her again this time.


    Amber smiled at hispliance, and fed him the entire bowl of porridge quite naturally. A patient was simr to a child, so she didn¡¯t mind doing this. After she finished feeding him, she gathered up all the dishes. Ian stared at her, unsatisfied, with his gazending on the lunch box by the coffee table.


    Amber smiled. ¡°You haven¡¯t had food for a while, so you can¡¯t eat too much at the beginning. Eat some moreter after you¡¯ve had some time to digest. Now, can you let me give you a checkup?¡±N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    He didn¡¯t respond. Perhaps the food had helped his rationality recover somewhat, but he could recognize her now. ¡°It¡¯s you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s me.¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t angry anymore?¡±


    When she heard this, her heart seemed to ache out of pity. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she sighed. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have let you leave like that that day.¡±


    He smiled, very faintly and very coolly, and with a taunting air.


    Evidently, he understood that, in her heart, Calvin was far more important than he ever would be.


    Amber didn¡¯t give an exnation, this simply wasn¡¯t something that she could exin. She treated his response as a silent eptance of the situation and grabbed his hand. Indeed, it was quite warm to the touch. She lightly rolled up his sleeve, only a little, but it was enough for her to see lines upon lines of welts. Some were from scratching, and others.


    She wanted to continue examining him, but Ian had already snatched his hand back. Hezily said, ¡°Leave. I don¡¯t want to have sex with you right now.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll leave. But I can¡¯t just leave you like this. You¡¯re my friend. When you¡¯re sick, I can¡¯t just abandon you.¡±


    ¡°Friend.¡± He smiled. Right after Amber detected the danger in his eyes, he exploded forth. He suddenly grabbed her, and then she felt a twinge of pain in her shoulder. He was biting down deeply on her just like a vampire.


    Amber felt like she was about to be bitten to death, and she was too afraid to struggle and too afraid to provoke him. As she endured the pain, she said, somewhat helplessly, ¡°My body¡¯s really dirty. I was at the hospital the entire day, and was even in close contact with two patients who just entered the hospital. One of them even spat at me in his agitation. Hmm, it¡¯s about at the same ce where you¡¯re biting me.¡±


    Although she had told him that the nature of clean freaks was to like dirty things, this description was evidently beyond Ian¡¯s tolerance. He froze before slowly letting go of her.


    Amber leaned backwards as she extended her hand into her clothes and touched the area that had been bitten. As expected, there was blood.


    This was truly an unlucky year for her, being bitten by both of her patients. Who knew if this time the injury would be more serious than thest?


    But when she saw the unbearable expression on his face, Amber couldn¡¯t help butugh. ¡°I¡¯m joking.¡± Afraid that he was about to pounce on her again, however, she shook her head and said, ¡°Don¡¯t bite me. I¡¯m all skin and bones. What if I hurt your teeth?¡±


    The pain was so intense that her face was contorting, but she was still joking with him. Even though he had just hurt her, she didn¡¯t shy away from him.


    Ian was reminded of that day when she had been hugging that little girl, not letting go even though she had been painfully biting down on her.


    Amber might not ever know that, when he witnessed that scene, only his greatest efforts had been able to restrain the brutality in his heart.


    In this moment, he had realized that his nature was just like that of the little girl¡¯s: equally crazy, equally ¡­ ill.


    He shut his eyes, trembling. ¡°¡­ Aren¡¯t you afraid of me?¡±


    Amber was curious, and asked, ¡°Why would I be afraid?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have any emotions.¡±


    ¡°No, you do.¡± Amber looked at him seriously. ¡°You care about your family, and you¡¯re afraid that they¡¯ll worry about your marriage affairs. So, you tried every trick you could think of to make me your girlfriend; this is kinship.


    You apanied me to Elly¡¯s hometown and helped me interview local residents, discover what made everyone so suspicious, and investigate Mark Brown, this is sympathy. You also help your friends by helping them close business deals they wouldn¡¯t have been able to on their own, this is friendship. You have all of these emotions, so why do you keep saying you don¡¯t?¡±


    Her voice was so pleasant to the ear, so gentle. It was just like a long forgotten dream that he had once had. In that dream, he was surrounded by darkness on all sides. But then, a beam of light appeared from afar, so bright it chased the darkness away.


    He unconsciously confessed what he had never told anyone before. ¡°That¡¯s all fake, all of it. I only did it because they told me that it was time for me to date someone and get married.


    At that time, coincidentally, Nancy wanted me to meet you, and so I did. Then I read some books that said that I had to help my girlfriend with anything she wanted, which was why I apanied you to the Brown family house and helped you investigate them.


    It has nothing to do with sympathy who¡¯s Elly, and who¡¯s the Brown family? How are they rted to me? The only reason I made friends and helped them is because I don¡¯t want to be a lonesome freak.


    Honestly, I hate people. I hate social interaction, marriage, romance, family, friends. To me, none of them have any meaning! I live only because I haven¡¯t died yet.¡±

 Chapter 98. SLEEPING BEAUTY

    ¡°Are you going to call that a pretense? I didn¡¯t think so.¡±


    Ian even looked a little proud of his speech, opening his eyes to observe Amber.


    Amber responded, ¡°At least it¡¯s not just me who hasn¡¯t noticed. I think that your grandparents haven¡¯t either because they¡¯ve always believed that you¡¯re an intelligent, capable, righteous, and kind child.


    Your friends haven¡¯t noticed. Billy is very protective of you. Because he thinks that you¡¯re loyal and always willing to help, he treats you as his best friend. If so many people haven¡¯t noticed, then how do you know that that¡¯s not the real you?


    Perhaps those words are the actual lies. Perhaps in reality, you really are intelligent, handsome, and sympathetic and passionate. It¡¯s just that you haven¡¯t noticed.¡±


    As Ian listened, the pride in his face transformed into doubt, almost as if he were asking himself, ¡®Could that really be the case?¡¯


    Amber smiled, and reached out to grasp his hand. ¡°Alright. You can think about this problem yourselfter. Now, let¡¯s look at your condition, okay?¡±


    Her finger lightly pressed down on where she had seen scratch marks. With a sigh, she asked, ¡°You¡¯ve scratched away all the skin in this region. Does it hurt?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it hurts.¡±


    ¡°Does it itch?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it itches.¡±


    ¡°It hurts and itches? How ufortable that must be! Shall we call the doctor in to take a look at you?¡±


    He stared at her. ¡°Aren¡¯t you a doctor?¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t my specialty, and you¡¯ve been sick for quite a while. Thus, you need a holistic checkup.¡± She went on, asking, ¡°You¡¯re tired, aren¡¯t you? If you¡¯re tired, then you should go to sleep for a while. The checkup will be very quick.¡±


    Ian frowned and he adamantly refused. ¡°No!¡±


    ¡°Why not? It¡¯s just a cold. Many people go to a doctor for this.¡±


    ¡°You too?¡±


    ¡°Me too.¡±


    ¡°You are a failure of a doctor.¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    His tone was so serious that Amber almost epted it as a fact. But then, Ian yawned and simply said, ¡°I¡¯m tired,¡± before falling forward andnding in herp.


    She had seen what had happenedst time he was tired, so Amber wasn¡¯t surprised when it happened again.


    She steadily propped him up until he wasfortably resting against her body with one hand clutching hers and the other unrestrainedly reaching into her clothes and pinching her waist as he sighed, ¡°Howfortable.¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    Once he was sound asleep, Amber carefully extricated herself from Ian and went outside to call for Dr. Benny.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just have Dr. Benny enter, it¡¯s better to have as few people inside as possible so that he doesn¡¯t wake up.¡± She looked toward Ian¡¯s anxious grandparents. ¡°Would the two of you mind waiting a while?¡±


    Despite their worry, they didn¡¯t object. Dr. Benny followed her in. He first put a hand to Ian¡¯s forehead, before taking out a thermometer from his medicine box and giving it to Amber. ¡°Take his temperature.¡±N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    Amber took it and carefully maneuvered his hand around before putting the thermometer in his armpit from his cor. The cold sensation shocked him awake, and Ian opened his eyes.


    Amber exined, ¡°You have a fever. I need to take your temperature.¡±


    Ian didn¡¯t respond, and merely looked at her, but he didn¡¯t object either. After a while, he took her hand and used it to prop his head up like a pillow.


    Amber was speechless, as now she was forced into a half-kneeling position to serve as his human pillow. Their postures were embarrassingly intimate, but Dr. Benny ignored them. He put on his stethoscope and very seriously moved it about Ian¡¯s body for some time before asking Amber, ¡°Can you have him stick his tongue out for me?¡±


    This was a highly difficult request, and Amber wasn¡¯t sure if she could aplish it. The key was that she didn¡¯t know what would happen if she woke him up, so after a moment¡¯s thought, Amber said, ¡°Can you look at something else first? He¡¯s still suffering from an allergic reaction.¡±


    The old doctor nodded and removed Ian¡¯s clothes, but the resulting sight caused both of them to suck in a breath.


    Underneath the clothes, Ian¡¯s back was all but covered withcerations; the key point wasn¡¯t just the wounds, but the fact that the edges of those wounds were turning white from infection-a few ces even showed signs of serious ulceration.


    No wonder Ian had been sleeping on his front when Amber had entered. Even now, he wasn¡¯t in a normal sleeping posture.


    Dr. Benny looked at him severely. ¡°Did he scratch himself with a de and then dunk himself in water? How could it get so bad? I can¡¯t treat this; with the way he is now, he has to go to the hospital and receive specialized treatment for infection. We can¡¯t dy this any further, or he¡¯ll really lose his life.¡±


    When he was finished with his diagnosis, he peeled back Ian¡¯s eyelids to check on his pupils, took his pulse, and then went out with a serious expression, saying nothing more.


    Amber also wanted to go out, but Ian was holding her hand so tightly that she couldn¡¯t move.


    The door outside wasn¡¯t shutpletely, so she could hear snatches of the conversation going on. Ian¡¯s grandfather seemed to be calling his son, Ian¡¯s father. ¡°Your son¡¯s so ill that he¡¯s about to die. Even if you can¡¯te back right now, can¡¯t you think of a solution? He has to go to the hospital now, but the way he is, who can send him there?¡±


    Not long after the call, she heard Dr. Benny angrily shout, ¡°What¡¯s the purpose of having all these peoplee over? In his condition, he needs a perfectly germ-free environment to recuperate in, and he also needs a fair number of examinations to ascertain how deep the infection is¡­ To think of building a germ-free environment here and to even bring the diagnostic machines over? You guys are really ¡­.¡±


    ¡®Silly but rich.¡¯ Amber finished Dr. Benny¡¯s evaluation that he couldn¡¯t say out loud in her head before looking at Ian and smiling. ¡®All of you are so simr, just waving money around to get your way.¡¯


    Ian slept quietly. It was the first time that Amber had ever been this close to him. Only now did she realize that the man in front of her was really a beautiful man; his skin was white and delicate and his facial features exquisite, cool, and grave. After meeting his father, Amber felt that his mother either had to be a peerless beauty or Ian had inherited the best features of his parents.


    The way he slept very much made him look like a sleeping beauty.


    Amber sighed, thinking that even if she couldn¡¯t be a prince, then she could at least be a manly enough woman to wake up a sleeping beauty-as a doctor, she very much understood Dr. Benny¡¯s exasperation when the Axton family had proposed bringing a whole hospital¡¯s worth of equipment to the Axton estate.


    If Ian still refused to cooperate, she was prepared to punch him in the face again and forcefully bring him to the hospital while he was dazed.


    He was different from Elly, so ¡­ being a bit rougher wouldn¡¯t matter.

 Chapter 99. DANGEROUS SITUATION

    Ian didn¡¯t sleep deeply; his illness had made his whole personality a bit dazed, sometimes clear-headed and sometimes not. When he saw her after waking up again, he frowned as he repeated, ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    Probably thinking that she was too close to him, he even pushed her away.


    Amber didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry at this point, but at least she didn¡¯t have to serve as his pillow anymore. Before he could get angry again, she quickly poured him a ss of water. ¡°Have some water. Your lips are parched.¡±


    Ian was really quite thirsty, and he took a big gulp of water from the ss in her hands. After taking in some fluids, he seemed to be more clear-headed, and he even leaned up and sat upright as he rubbed his forehead. ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    Amber ignored his muddle-headedness and sincerely said, ¡°You¡¯re seriously ill. You have to go to the hospital.


    After hearing this, he put his hands down, looking at her.N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    She also looked back at him, her eyespletely devoid of hesitation. ¡°Under normal circumstances, you should already be lying in a hospital bed, so let¡¯s go there now, alright?¡±


    Because he always had a specific sequence that he did things in from start to end, Amber wanted to imnt in his mind the need to go to the hospital when he was sick.


    She wasn¡¯t sure of her chances of sess, so she could only look at him anxiously.


    Within the room, time seemed to pass even slower. The door to the living room wasn¡¯t closed, and the voices of the people talking outside could be intermittently heard. Amber was very worried that this might upset or rile Ian up.


    Luckily, her hint was sessful, and Ian said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    It was said in a cool tone, but one that made Amber feel as though she had been relieved of a great burden. She stood up, and reached out with a hand to support him. He nced at her and then leaned on her arm.


    Amber couldn¡¯t help but burst intoughter. He naturally noticed and asked, ¡°What are youughing at?¡±


    Mmm. Indeed, when looking at him, he seemed like he had returned to normal, as long as he didn¡¯t re up again. Amber said, ¡°I feel like, if my waist were any lower, then I¡¯d essentially be a eunuch from ancient times helping his emperor up.¡± After she said this, she even asked, ¡°Should I ask if you¡¯d like to rise?¡±


    Ian nced at her haughtily, and imperially responded, ¡°Rise.¡±


    He stood up, his spinepletely straight. Originally, he wanted to do it in a domineering manner, but his forehead uncontrobly scrunched up as he got up.


    Amber guessed that his clothes must have touched his infected skin, making him ufortable.


    When Amber thought back to that wound riddled back that was unbearable to even look at, she started feeling guilty and also somewhat sympathetic.


    She really wanted to call and ask her mom when she hadst washed or dried the quilt and Ruby¡¯s clothes that he had used. Had it been the reason why Ian¡¯s allergic reaction was this bad?


    That¡¯s right. Her intuition told her that only those two things could have triggered Ian¡¯s allergic reaction. As such, this was naturally one of the reasons why she felt particrly guilty and apologetic towards Ian.


    If something truly happened to him, then she felt like she would carry that weight for the rest of her life.


    But even in this state, Ian insisted on changing his clothes. Amber asked, confounded, ¡°Why not just put on an outer jacket?¡±


    He shook his head, and stubbornly insisted on changing his clothes. Amber couldn¡¯t dissuade him and could only help him up the stairs to change.


    ***


    By the time he was finished, his grandfather was already starting to contact people to have the various medical instruments sent over; when he was halfway into his call, his wife suddenly pulled on his arm. He turned around and saw his grandson standing straight and imposing by the door.


    ¡°That ¡­.¡± Ian¡¯s grandfather was at an advanced age, but this was the first time he had stammered in a long while. ¡°Ian ¡­ are you alright?¡±


    Dr. Benny couldn¡¯t keep watching, and started ridiculing from the side. ¡°Look at how he¡¯s barely standing up straight. Does it look like he¡¯s alright?¡±


    ¡®Oh, that¡¯s right.¡¯ Only now did Ian¡¯s grandfather see that Amber was standing by his grandson¡¯s side and trying her hardest to hold him steady, so much so that her petite body was about to fall over.


    A couple of the young doctors walked up to help, but Ian didn¡¯t let them. So, Amber could only grit her teeth and say, ¡°It¡¯s fine, I can handle it.¡±


    Ian¡¯s grandfather almost sighed at this sight, his only thought being that it was so fortunate that a person who his grandson didn¡¯t despise had finally appeared. He clutched the phone that was still connected and said to Amber, deeply moved, ¡°Then I¡¯ll trouble you, Dr. Camille.¡±


    Amber smiled, but she was sighing in her heart. If you have the time to say this, then get in the car!


    At least Dr. Benny was reliable. He truly understood that Ian¡¯s situation was very precarious, so he immediately readied the cars, decided who would go where, and assigned tasks to everyone.


    As Ian¡¯s grandmother watched on anxiously, Amber and Ian got into the first car.


    Once he had assigned everyone their respective roles, Dr. Bennymanded from outside, ¡°Go to the central hospital. Quickly.¡±


    Ian immediately scratched Amber¡¯s palm. They were the only two people in the backseat. He was leaning on her shoulder, so when he scratched her, she turned around.


    His ck eyes were gleaming enigmatically at her.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Go to Presbiterian Hospital.¡±

 Chapter 100. HURDLE AFTER HURDLE

    ¡°Dr. Benny¡¯s a famed specialist in treating your illnesses. If he takes care of you, you¡¯ll also recover quicker. You don¡¯t want to stay in the hospital for too long, do you?¡±


    Ian stopped talking, but some coldness nheless seeped through his mask; clearly, he wasn¡¯t in favor of this decision.


    Forck of a better option, Amber could only say, ¡°Dr. Benny personally came here to treat you, so it would be rude to dismiss him at this point.¡± Of course this was just an excuse; in truth, she could see that Ian¡¯s reliance on her was unhealthy, so she wanted to maintain as professional a doctor-patient rtionship with him as possible.N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    But even though she wanted to put some distance between them, other people always got in the way. Ian¡¯s grandmother, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, peeked her head back and smiled at them as she said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We can go to Presbiterian Hospital. I¡¯ll just let your grandfather know.¡±


    As if to alleviate Amber¡¯s earlier concerns, she added, ¡°It will be fine. Dr. Benny and my husband are on good terms with each other. Even if we go to Presbiterian Hospital, we can still invite him to perform the medical examination.¡±


    Amber looked silently at Ian¡¯s grandmother, who had spoiled her ns.


    His grandmother then quickly called her husband to inform him of the change in ns. ¡°Tell Dr. Benny that we¡¯re going to Presbiterian Hospital.¡±


    Her phone was set to speaker mode, so Ian grandfather¡¯s voice rang out through the car. He first asked, ¡°Why are we going to Presbiterian?¡±


    But then he seemed to have thought of something, and his voice quickly changed. ¡°Alright, alright, we will go to Presbiterian. I¡¯ll tell all of them. Leave quickly and let me handle the rest.¡±


    Once Ian¡¯s grandmother finished the call, she turned and smiled at them again. This time, her gaze was directed particrly strongly toward Amber, which made her feel very ufortable.


    She knew what these two old folks were thinking. Undoubtedly, it was something along the lines of howpatible their grandson and she looked.


    With regards to this, Amber felt both speechless and helpless.


    The Axton family was inplete control of Axton¡¯s medical branch, so they had connections in the medical field that Amber could only dream of. In fact, they had managed to arrange everything in the hospital mid-ride. Once the car arrived, Ian was immediately sent to a VIP level intensive care unit.


    Because of his high fever, he had fallen into another stupor during the ride over. Amber sat outside the ward for a very long time, waiting all the way until Ian finished his general inspection, took a few doses of medicine, and fell into a deep sleep. Only then did she tiredly head home.


    ***


    When she finally got home, it was past midnight. Themp in the living room was still lit, but Calvin had already left. On the dining table was the food that she had bought after getting off work earlier.


    When she lifted the stic covering the food, it only revealed cold steak and spaghetti that had already congealed into tasteless lumps.


    Then she noticed that the scones she had asked to be delivered back had been left to the side. She had sent six back for him, but there were still six left; Calvin hadn¡¯t eaten a single one.


    Amber sighed and took out her phone to call him. He didn¡¯t pick up.


    Unfortunately, it seemed like he was angry again. Amber caressed her forehead, thinking about what she could do now to make it up to him.


    Right now, Calvin was drinking at a bar with some colleagues. With music being sted at ear-splitting levels, nothing could be heard from the other end.


    Melody was sitting by his side, watching Calvin drain ss after ss of beer with the pretense of being punished for beingte. All of his colleagues were cheering him on, so he poured himself another ss.


    But just as he was about to down it, Melody stopped him. ¡°What happened to you?¡± she asked as she squeezed closer.


    Calvin turned to look at her, causing the girl by his side to quickly flush red, her eyes seemingly shing underneath the bar¡¯s strobe lights.


    He shook his head and said nothing as he pushed her hand away and drank another ss. As the beer slowly fell down his throat, he felt the coldness seep all the way from his mouth down to his heart.


    His colleagues were partying crazily. The effect of the alcohol even caused two colleagues who were mutually interested in each other to finally break through their barrier and kiss, causing everyone to p for them. But even then, Calvin only felt the cold sensation of destion in theughter of the crowd.


    He also wanted to love someone like that, without a care for anything else. However, he didn¡¯t know if his timing was off, but he kept feeling like he was running into hurdle after hurdle, even after they had sessfully made their feelings clear.


    The owner of the hand came closer, immediately filling his nostrils with an enticing scent. ¡°Calvin, this isn¡¯t fun. Let¡¯s go.¡±

 Chapter 101. CALVIN’S EMOTIONAL OUTBURST

    Perhaps it was because she was too tired, but Amber didn¡¯t sleep well that day. She dreamed throughout the whole night, but her dreams were filled with scenes of neither rhyme nor reason, arge number of people and random things flitting through them. When a loud knocking sound came from her door, she was dreaming of walking barefoot along a cliff as loose stones cut at her like sharp knives.


    On some level, dreams reflected the inner self. As a psychiatrist, Amber clearly understood that this dream represented the danger that she felt from Ian.


    The intense knocking on her door shattered her dreams of danger. When she raised her head, she saw Calvin¡¯s face through the screen door. She was very surprised because he exuded an aura of absolute dejection; his clothes were a mess and his hair disheveled.


    Once the door open, he immediately leapt over, hugged her, and started kissing her passionately. Amber was very unsettled; unlike Ian¡¯s dazed actions that one night, Calvin¡¯s passion seemed to be fueled by anger and suppressed emotions.


    His body¡¯s stench was hard to bear, as it was the smell of stale beer mixed together with bitter tobo and a cloyingly sweet perfume.


    She tried to block his advances. ¡°Calvin, what¡¯s wrong with you? Don¡¯t be like this.¡±


    He ignored her and grabbed her hands. This never before seen impatient behavior felt like he was urgently trying to obtain something from her. Amber had never liked this sort of out-of-control intimacy.


    When he started pinning her hands down, she leaned back to build up some momentum before headbutting him with her skull when he kissed her behind the ear.


    The headbutt hurt Calvin enough to make him suck in a deep breath, forcing him to release her and grab his nose. Not long after, fresh blood seeped through his fingers.


    Unfortunately, Amber hadn¡¯t been very urate and had identally smashed his nose.


    Even though her own face also hurt, Amber was still concerned for him first. ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    Calvin shook his head, clearly having sobered up from the shock. Faced with Amber¡¯s clear-headed and somewhat cool expression, he was so embarrassed that he couldn¡¯t even look her in the eye.


    Amber pretended not to have noticed his embarrassment and poured some cold water into a basin to serve as apress to stop the bleeding. Then she even grabbed a wad of cotton for him to stuff up his nose.


    Once she had prepared everything, Amber stooped to a side and watched him wash his nose. Her expression was filled with concentration, her expression oozing gentleness, and her clear eyes carrying a faint hint of a smile; her entire mien made one calm down quickly.


    Calvin couldn¡¯t help but ssh her with a bit of water. Amber was unable to dodge it, and the water droplets dripped down her face like pearls.


    After a mess of a night, he could only marvel at how wonderful it was to see her again. Unable to resist the temptation in his heart, Calvin leaned in closer, trying to lick her lips.


    Amber dodged, wiping her face while simultaneouslyughing at him.


    ¡°What¡¯re youughing at?¡±


    ¡°If I were you, I wouldn¡¯t have chosen to hit on someone at this time.¡±


    She stretched out her hand, pointing at his nose. Only then did Calvin remember that two wads of cotton were still stuffed inside his nostrils. He quickly lowered his head and mumbled, ¡°You¡¯re quite fierce.¡±


    ¡°Sorry. I only wanted to hit you lightly.¡±


    As she said this, she couldn¡¯t help but think of Ian and the two punches that she had given him; that was truly fierce. She could still see a bit of bruising by his jawst night.


    And for some reason, men always seemed to like trying to be intimate while they were out-of-control. Just what did they think they could achieve in that state?


    Calvin hadpletely sobered up by now, saying, ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll treat it as the price I have to pay for being frivolous.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Amber patted his head. ¡°Keep reflecting. I¡¯ll go wash up. If the bleeding doesn¡¯t stop after a few minutes, then I¡¯ll look at your face again.


    Her expression was so natural, it was almost as if his losing control wasn¡¯t surprising at all. Although Calvin had felt somewhat guilty at first, not wanting her to ask about what happened that night, he actually felt somewhat depressed when she didn¡¯t bring it up at all.


    He nodded as he responded somewhat stuffily, ¡°Alright.¡±


    Amber was actually somewhat curious about what had happened. The reason why she didn¡¯t ask was because she was trying to be conscientious; he would definitely tell her if he wanted to talk about it.


    This was said somewhat maliciously, but Amber knew what he was feeling and could sympathize with his reaction, so she pretended to not hear it. ¡°He probably knows that, but he wasn¡¯t paying attention. Actually, not only did he break through his skin, but he also immersed it in water, making it even more serious. Alright, let¡¯s not talk about him anymore.¡± She stood up and rolled up her sleeves. ¡°I¡¯m nning on making up forst night¡¯s dinner. Do you want to help?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Calvin had also realized that he was being petty, so he jokingly said, ¡°I made all the food yesterday, so you have to make all of it today if you want to make it up to me.¡±


    Amber smiled. ¡°Alright. Then just go wait outside for a big meal.¡±


    After saying this, she went into the kitchen. Calvin looked at her back, his smile slowly vanishing until his face waspletely expressionless.


    The steak from yesterday was already cold, and it wouldn¡¯t taste good even if she heated it back up. Amber felt that it would be a waste to throw it away, so she called her mom and asked her for advice on how to best revise it.


    As a chef with many years of experience, her mother quickly responded with a method. After she taught it to her daughter, she casually asked, ¡°What¡¯s Ian¡¯s phone number? Give it to me.¡±


    Admittedly, Ian had clearly been more excessive on that day than her. In her mother¡¯s eyes, he had already gone from ¡®that dolt¡¯ to Ian.


    ck streaks marred Amber¡¯s forehead. ¡°Why do you want his number?¡±


    ¡°You refused to let us parents meet up, so I want to talk to him about his aspirations and goals. Can¡¯t I do even that?¡±


    Amber chuckled. ¡°No, mom. Don¡¯t cause any more trouble for me.¡±


    And then she hung up.


    When she turned around to grab some starch, she saw Calvin standing by the door. Her heart jumped a little, but she didn¡¯t let it show. Instead, she put on a smile and said, ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Did you decide that you couldn¡¯t bear have me work alone and came to offer me help?¡±


    And Calvin indeed did wash his hands and start to help her. As Amber covered the steak in starch, he washed the vegetables by her side. As he washed them, he asked, ¡°What do you like about me, Amber?¡±


    Amber looked at him, still smiling. ¡°I¡¯m not quite sure. Perhaps it¡¯s because you stood out from the crowd?¡±


    Upon hearing this, Calvin alsoughed, responding, ¡°Then how long will you like me for?¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t change, then I probably won¡¯t change either.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡¯


    Calvin just looked at her as hisugh started to turn somewhat forlorn.


    Amber wasn¡¯t as skilled as her mother at cooking, so she had messed up the modified steak dish. In the end, it was Calvin who saved the day by making two ham sandwiches.


    When breakfast was finally served, Amber¡¯s phone rang. Calvin hade to her house very early, at almost six in the morning. So, they were also having an early breakfast, at around seven.


    The call was from Ian¡¯s grandmother, who was almost crying while on the phone. ¡°The results are out. He has septicemia. What do we do?¡±


    Even though she could predict that Ian¡¯s condition was quite serious from Dr. Benny¡¯s expressionst night, it was still hard for Amber to ept that the worst had actually happened.


    After the phone call ended, she put down her utensils. Upon seeing her expression, Calvin quickly asked, ¡°What¡¯s the problem?¡±


    ¡°Ian¡¯s examination results are out. He has septicemia.¡±N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    Calvin didn¡¯t like her serious expression, and after a while, asked, ¡°¡­ Is it hard to cure?¡±


    ¡°Yes, somewhat.¡± She stood up and said, ¡°I have to go to the hospital.¡±


    Calvin pulled her down. ¡°Can¡¯t you eat something first?¡± He tried to restrain his anger as he looked at her. ¡°It¡¯s not your specialty, so beingte isn¡¯t a big deal. Please eat something before heading over, alright?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I really can¡¯t eat anything right now.¡± She broke free and was about to walk away, truly very worried.


    Peng!


    In his anger, Calvin threw his utensils onto the te. He suddenly stood up. ¡°Do you really care that much about him?!¡±


    Amber stopped in her tracks, slowly turning around to look at him.

 Chapter 102. YOU ONLY CARE ABOUT HIM

    Calvin was still angry. He knew that, at this time, he should calm down, act kindly, and be considerate of her actions.From N?velDrama.Org.


    But he couldn¡¯t stand it.


    His mind was consumed by agitation and a tinge of sorrow, but his tone did be gentler. ¡°Do you care that much about him? What about me? Even after I came here in this wretched state, why didn¡¯t you ask why? When I said that I was drunk, did you really believe that? Why was I drunk, what did I do while I was drunk-don¡¯t you care about any of that? Do you only care about him?¡±


    Amber took a deep breath. What he was saying wasn¡¯t technically correct; in reality, she had asked him all those questions when he had first entered through the door. It wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t care, but rather that she could tell that he didn¡¯t want to answer.


    But now wasn¡¯t the time to worry about this. She looked at him directly. ¡°Calvin, I already know why you got drunk, and I also know why you¡¯re not feeling well. But I can only say one thing: I¡¯m not romantically involved with Ian at all. As I said yesterday, he¡¯s ill, and there¡¯s a reason why I have to personally take care of him. If you believe me, then I¡¯ll be very happy, but if not, then I also understand why.¡±


    ¡°This again.¡± Calvin smiled a deste smile. ¡°You say all this as if I¡¯m a petty person. You always ask me to believe you, but how can I? Don¡¯t you feel that your care and attention to him is way beyond what¡¯s normal? Amber, I really want to be generous and gracious, but I don¡¯t like that you¡¯re so close to him. No matter what you think, I don¡¯t like it.¡±


    He had finally revealed his deepest thoughts. With his heart bare, he looked at her, his expression pleading for her to consider his feelings.


    Before, Amber had always felt that Calvin was too introverted and that he was bottling all his emotions up in his heart. She didn¡¯t expect that a day woulde when he could be so forward.


    But this was fine too, as it allowed them to exchange thoughts candidly. She didn¡¯t get mad, turning back around instead. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m sorry. I was too hasty when deciding just now.¡± She reached out for his hand and guided it to her face. ¡°I know that it¡¯s not good for me to act like this since it bothers you. However, please don¡¯t be angry, alright?¡±


    ¡°Then are you still going to go?¡±


    Amber didn¡¯t respond, so Calvin slowly retrieved his hand and left without another word.


    Amber called out to him a few times, but he never responded. In the end, she had no choice but to let him go.


    She felt that, since he was still angry, it would be better for her to wait for him to calm down before exining everything, but she didn¡¯t realize that, when Calvin saw no sign of Amber chasing after him as he walked out, the disappointment in his heart was almost enough to drown him.


    All men held an insatiable desire within their hearts. Before Calvin and Amber¡¯s rtionship had solidified, Calvin had been able to wait for her patiently despite her other ¡°boyfriend¡±. However, now that their rtionship was confirmed, Calvin found that he wasn¡¯t able to stand seeing her care so much about any other man.


    Especially after what happenedst night.


    After Calvin¡¯s outburst, even though Amber was certain that she would be able to get back together with him, she didn¡¯t feel very well.


    She rubbed her face vigorously, and then did so again. Only after she felt like she had rubbed all her unease away did she rush to the hospital.


    ***


    The Axton family was arranged in a neat little row. After a night had passed, Ian¡¯s father had also arrived, and he was currently standing with his parents in front of Ian¡¯s ward. Apparently, his brother had alsoe, but Amber didn¡¯t see him anywhere.


    Ian¡¯s grandmother exined, ¡°He¡¯s still a kid in school. It¡¯s useless for him to be here, so we made him leave first.¡±


    Amber didn¡¯t mind, and instead tried to persuade Ian¡¯s grandparents to rest. ¡°If there¡¯s nothing to do, then the two of you should go rest as well. Mr. Axton will have the best doctors taking care of him. If you persist, then not only will be dying his recovery, but the two of you might also get sick.¡±


    Ian¡¯s father was also trying to persuade his parents to leave.


    Ian¡¯s grandmother, however, was very stubborn. ¡°I¡¯m not leaving. With the way he is now, how can I leave without worrying?¡±


    Ian¡¯s father logically rebutted, ¡°But you can¡¯t help even if you¡¯re here.¡±


    He was trying to take care of his mother, but this was the straw that broke the camel¡¯s back. Ian¡¯s grandmother was originally just worried about her grandson, but when she heard this, she became so angry that she stopped caring about her image and turned to her son, prepared to give him a public scolding.


    ¡°Then, how about you? Are you of any use right now? As his father, are you even worried about your son? If I hadn¡¯t called you so many timesst night, would you havee home at all? When have you ever cared about your son? You¡¯re already middle-aged; a failure of a father leads to a failure of a son. If someday the two of us die, then this family¡¯s going to fall apart too!¡±


    Ian¡¯s father was a middle-aged man in a position of power, and he was made so difited by this public humiliation that he turned to leave, not even properly greeting Amber.


    Ian¡¯s grandmother began to tremble in anger, and his grandfather¡¯s expression also turned more serious as the corners of his mouth drooped.


    Amber felt very awkward about stepping into this situation and was getting ready to leave when Ian¡¯s grandmother suddenly pulled on her hand,ining, ¡°What¡¯s going to happen to our little Ian? He¡¯s never been close to his father even when he was young, and now he¡¯s fallen ill-he¡¯s still not married. What can he do in the future?¡±


    Only then did Amber find an excuse to leave. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Even though septicemia is a troublesome disease, it¡¯s not hard to treat once we determine the bacteria responsible for it. Please don¡¯t be too anxious. I¡¯ll go look at him, alright?¡±


    Ian¡¯s grandmother finally let go of her.

 Chapter 103. [Untitled]

    Amber then proceeded to look at Ian. He was lying in a germ-free ward, still deep in sleep. If not for his hospital gown, this would have been the most peaceful that Amber had ever seen him.


    She really felt quite guilty as she headed to the doctor in charge of Ian, an authority in the field. He had already finished looking at Ian¡¯s file, and wasn¡¯t in a hurry to answer her questions. Instead, the first words out of his mouth was, ¡°He¡¯s the boyfriend who booked all of your appointment slots because he was worried you¡¯d be tired, isn¡¯t he?¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    Was this gossip not over yet? She was speechless, but still had to say something in response. ¡°It¡¯s all a misunderstanding. Could you please tell me how he¡¯s doing?¡±


    ¡°Not well at all! Despite his good physique, he¡¯s taken such poor care of his body that he¡¯s lucky he¡¯s not dead yet.¡±


    Amber didn¡¯t say anything, and only looked at him with pleading eyes until the doctor smiled and said, ¡°Alright, stop looking at me like that! And to think that your professor said that you were her best student-it doesn¡¯t seem like you¡¯re anything special. Don¡¯t worry. We just have to treat him slowly. At the very least, he won¡¯t die on my watch.¡±


    Even though he didn¡¯t mention any specifics, Amber still rxed. Next, she went over the possible reasons for his illness again, saying, ¡°I asked my mom. She washes and dries that quilt every year, so we don¡¯t know how he ended up getting an allergic reaction. If you need it, I can get you a sample of it.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Please do so, as we have to check everything.¡±


    And so, Amber went to her department, took a day¡¯s leave, went home, got a sample of the quilt, and then sent it to theb before receiving yet another call from Ian¡¯s grandmother. ¡°Dr. Camille, are you at the hospital? Can youe over quickly? Our little Ian refuses to stay in the hospital and wants to leave. What do we do?!¡±


    After Amber rushed over to the hospital, she found that Ian¡¯s grandmother had been exaggerating. Ian didn¡¯t n on leaving, but he had woken up, and was sitting by the head of his bed with a severe mien as he listened to the doctor exin his illness to him.


    It was true that his expression wasn¡¯t good, but he certainly wasn¡¯t ¡°crying and shouting¡± about leaving the hospital.N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    From the monitor, Amber saw that Nancy was also inside the room, and immediately calmed down. She didn¡¯t rush in, and silently observed the scene for a moment before heading outside again.


    Ian¡¯s grandfather had already left, and his grandmother was the only family member outside. She was somewhat embarrassed that she had called Amber over for nothing, and said, ¡°He really was shouting about leaving the hospital just now. Luckily, your professor arrived and convinced him not to.¡±


    Amber smiled. She could understand her worry and didn¡¯t mind it much,forting her with a warm voice instead. She was quite good at it too; not long after, Ian¡¯s grandmother was convinced by her words and indeed did calm down.


    Upon noticing her wan and bleary expression, Amber was about to persuade her to leave and rest-the truth was that she wasn¡¯t doing much here; Ian was in a germ-free environment and receiving the best possible treatment with a professional nurse and doctor attending to him. The presence of his family members was unnecessary.


    There was only one thing they could provide: because Ian had septicemia, besides the necessary medical treatment, he also needed to be well nourished. In the Axton household, this was no problem at all.


    And so, Amber began discussing Ian¡¯s future diet with his grandmother. But before they could finish, the door opened and Nancy and the others came out. Ian¡¯s grandmother was called away by the doctor in charge, while Amber and her professor stayed behind.


    ¡°Sorry to bother youst night.¡±


    ¡°It was fine.¡± Amber shook her head and nced at Ian¡¯s ward before asking, ¡°How is it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s in the early stages, so it¡¯s not difficult to treat. As long as he cooperates, it won¡¯t be a big deal.¡±


    Nancy¡¯s words were concise, her tone calm. Amber clutched at her chest as she sighed, ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡± When she raised her head, she saw that her professor was looking at her with a half-smile, and she blushed. ¡°I was worried that I was responsible as I suspected that he fell ill at my ce.¡±


    Nancy was somewhat shocked. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Amber exined what had happened that day briefly, only leaving out the fact that he had hugged and kissed her right after seeing her.


    When Nancy had heard everything, she started shaking her head. ¡°You love to take responsibility for everything, don¡¯t you? Do you know why he¡¯s such a clean freak? It¡¯s because his skin is naturally sensitive, and just a bit of carelessness can lead to endless problems. Who knows whether or not he touched something dirty beforehand? As you said, he ran to find you while dripping wet.¡±


    Amber had no reply.


    Nancy stoppedforting her, and instead said, ¡°But his situation really was quite dangerous. If it took us any longer to get to him, then he might not have been saved. Go and take a look at him first. If there¡¯s anything wrong, we can talkter.¡±


    So Amber tidied herself up and put on a face mask and istion suit before entering the ward.

 Chapter 104. BRILLIANT MEN ARE ALSO AFRAID OF NEEDLES

    Inside the ward, Ian was still sitting by the head of the bed, hisplexion pale and stark white, even his lips¡¯ color bleached out.


    He seemed like a flower past its prime whose petals were wilting pitifully,pletely devoid of its previous cold and haughty demeanor.


    Amber walked over. She first picked up the medical records by the head of his bed in a smooth manner. Good-hisst few temperature readings showed that his high fever had broken.


    Although she wasn¡¯t a specialist, she knew that, given his situation, as long as the fever broke, the rest would be far easier.


    She put down the records and finally turned around to face him. Amber couldn¡¯t help but smile-Ian couldn¡¯t see her smile, but he could tell that she was smiling because her eyes, the only part of her body that was exposed, had curved into crescents.


    ¡°Are you better?¡±


    Ian didn¡¯t respond, turning instead to face the other side of the room. A nurse pushed a cart inside; on the pushcart were cups filled with medicine, needles, and other medical paraphernalia.


    Amber almost immediately noticed Ian¡¯s anxiety, and couldn¡¯t help but be momentarily startled. It couldn¡¯t be-the brilliant Ian Axton, who acted as though he didn¡¯t care much about anything, was actually afraid of needles?


    He was really quite scared, so much so that he even ignored Amber as he stared rigidly at the needle in the nurse¡¯s hands.


    ¡°Ian Axton?¡± The nurse pinched the needle tip, verifying his identity.


    Ian didn¡¯t speak, so Amber had to answer for him. ¡°Yes, he¡¯s Ian Axton.¡±


    The nurse nced at her, and then lowered the needle, preparing to give him an injection. Ian stretched out his hand rigidly, and the nurse had to tap his wrist several times before finally saying, ¡°Rx.¡±


    But despite the request, Mr. Axton¡¯s hand remained as taut as ever. Even though he was trying his hardest to cooperate, his muscles contracted of their own ord.


    His physique wasn¡¯t bad, and the muscles in his hand were well developed. Once he got nervous, his muscles became bundles of steel.


    Seeing this, Amber suddenly grabbed his other hand as she lightly called out to him.


    Ian turned around subconsciously, his mind rxing for a moment. And in that moment, the nurse found the correct vein and thrust the needle into his skin.


    Good, there was blood flowing.


    Beautiful people always received preferential treatment. Were he an ordinary man, the nurse might have sneered at him and left upon realizing that such a big fellow was afraid of a needle. But because he was so handsome, the nurse evenforted him. ¡°Look, it doesn¡¯t hurt, does it? Don¡¯t be so anxious.¡±


    Amber couldn¡¯t help butugh, which made Ian re at her. When the nurse left, he snatched her hand, pulled it next to his face, and ran his teeth over it.


    There wasn¡¯t any blood, but he did leave a neat row of teeth marks; it didn¡¯t hurt, but it was quite suggestive.


    Amber took her hand back, somewhat embarrassed, but Ian behaved like nothing had happened. He closed his eyes and shamelessly requested, ¡°I¡¯d like to hear a story.¡±


    His tone was cold, but his voice was hoarse. Without his usual power, he sounded like an awkward child acting coyly with an adult.


    Amber didn¡¯t refuse and told him a story, his favorite one. Ian must have been exhausted, because he fell asleep before she could even finish. Amber adjusted his bed a little to help him sleep easier, only leaving when she saw him sleeping soundly.


    ***


    As she exited the room, she saw Nancy looking at her strangely.


    Amber couldn¡¯t help but touch her face as she asked, ¡°What is it? Is there something on my face?¡±


    Nancy merely responded, ¡°Amber, how old are you?¡±


    ¡°Twenty nine.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, age isn¡¯t the problem. At least now I know why, despite your looks and personality, you¡¯ve never been in a romantic rtionship until now.¡±


    Amber was very surprised, as this seemed like a random topic to bring up; when had Professor Nancy started behaving like an ordinary woman, gossiping about such things? But she didn¡¯t correct her; the main reason why she had never been in a rtionship was because that person wasn¡¯t here. Once he returned, however, she had indeed quickly gotten into one.


    Somewhat amused, she asked, ¡°Why do you say that?¡±


    ¡°Because the way you look at other people is too benevolent. From their point of view, your eyes probably remind them of their mother¡¯s.¡±


    Amber choked quite abruptly.


    Nancyughed loudly, and then she dragged Amber to her office. Instead of first discussing Ian¡¯s illness, she instead asked, ¡°Amber, even though you¡¯re more of a mother than me, what will you do if someone particrly likes that aspect of you? Let me ask you something tell me honestly, have you ever considered getting into a rtionship with your patients?¡±


    After running around for the entire morning, Amber had been thirsty and had naturally poured herself a ss of water and taken a sip right as she entered. When Nancy asked such a bizarre question, she almost choked again.


    Amber could only reply very seriously. ¡°Professor, I already have a boyfriend.¡±


    Nancy made a soft ¡®Oh¡¯ in response as she inspected her closely. The girl in front of her had a very youthful face and was young, pretty, and filled with an exuberant vitality. This really made her admire Amber. She had known her for quite a while now: the first time Nancy had met Amber was when thetter was a senior in college, following behind a bunch of students doing a practicum. While the others had been somewhat fric and wary about the prospect of facing a mentally ill patient, she had already started approaching him.Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    Even after all these years, her vitality had not been depleted one bit; it wasn¡¯t just a matter of youth, but also her passion and love towards her career.


    But Nancy put all this aside and casually asked, ¡°How long has it been going on for?¡± After hearing that it hadn¡¯t been too long, she clicked her tongue. ¡°You should still be in the passionate stage, but I don¡¯t see any of that sweetness in your face.¡±


    Amber responded somewhat drolly, ¡°I didn¡¯t know that you could read faces too, professor.¡±


    Nancy was proud. ¡°Of course, I¡¯m a psychiatrist! I¡¯ve been very interested in psychoanalysistely, and my ability to glean information from other people¡¯s expressions has improved.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been reading fewer books than I shouldtely.¡± Amber was ashamed at hearing that even a famous psychiatrist like Nancy was still working hard to advance herself.


    Nancy was very understanding. ¡°You¡¯re working and have a lot of busy work too. As long as your heart is there, it¡¯s fine.¡±

 Chapter 105. [UNTITLED]

    Amber and Nancy, the two of them discussed their studies and some medical cases for a while when Nancy suddenly asked, out of the blue, ¡°How¡¯s your research on Ian¡¯s illness progressing?¡±N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    Amber nonchntly responded, ¡°I¡¯d like to request that you assign him another doctor, professor.¡±


    As soon as she made her request, she knew there was going to be trouble. Originally, even if she was going to ask that the case be re-assigned, she should have brought up a good reason first before proposing it.


    However, now that she had brought it up with a worried tone. Indeed, Nancy pped her hands together, excited. ¡°He likes you?¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    Nancyughed. ¡°There¡¯s nothing strange about that. Patients who suffer from mental illnesses find it very easy totch onto their doctors. As a young pretty woman, it¡¯s actually quite natural for people like you. But it¡¯s not too appropriate if you withdraw from his treatment in the middle of it. You know how particr Ian is. He probably won¡¯t ept a new doctor taking his case.¡±


    Amber lowered her gaze, not speaking.


    Nancy asked, ¡°What, is it really that big of a problem?¡±


    ¡°What happenedst time caused Calvin to have a misunderstanding with Mr. Axton.¡±


    ¡°Is it just that? Amber, you¡¯re not that helpless of a woman.¡±


    Amber¡¯s heart was shaken. After that, Nancy said something else about beingzy and applying a quick patch. This was the crudest method of solving problems; she was all but admitting that she had no confidence in extricating herself from her problems.


    A mental patient¡¯s mind was often a big mess, with particrly strong deviations in their thoughts and actions. When facing such patients, psychiatrists often had to ignore what was right or ethical, because they needed to empathize with their patients before they could ept them on a psychological level. Amber had always been very good at this aspect of being a psychiatrist, and Nancy really hadn¡¯t expected that there would be a time when she too would falter.


    Last time, Nancy¡¯s words had only been a reminder for Amber. But this time, when she saw and heard about how differently Ian treating her, Nancy¡¯s question about whether she would consider entering a romantic rtionship with one of her patients was actually a reminder in disguise. But the response that she got from her was quite unexpected.


    Nancy couldn¡¯t help but caress her forehead. ¡°I didn¡¯t imagine that Ian would be this charming.¡±


    Amber nked for a moment before realizing that her teacher had misunderstood. However, she had no words to say: she was originally afraid that her presence would influence Ian too much. But now, she was afraid that she wouldn¡¯t have enough strength to see matters through.


    She also couldn¡¯t directly mention Ian¡¯s erratic behavior, so Amber could only try to salvage things. ¡°It¡¯s not that-I¡¯m just a bit worried.¡±


    Nancy nodded with an understanding expression on her face. She even gave her some advice. ¡°It seems like you don¡¯t feel particrly strongly about your boyfriend. So, be careful to not randomly choose someone just because you¡¯re being pressured. A matter as important as marriage can¡¯t be rushed.¡±


    Truly, it couldn¡¯t-look at her, she was the model of waiting patiently. In response, Amber said, ¡°I¡¯m not in a rush. I¡¯ve already known him for so many years.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, so you¡¯re childhood sweethearts.¡± Not letting Amber rx, Professor Nancy added, ¡°But so what? Sometimes, even a childhood sweetheart can¡¯t beat a new contestant. As psychiatrists, we should understand that time alone doesn¡¯t mean very much.¡±


    ¡°Time represents mutual understanding, a deepening of emotions and affections.¡± Amber was forced to rebut. ¡°We really love each other, and it¡¯s unlikely that we¡¯d be easily reced.¡±


    Everyone said that one shouldn¡¯t speak carelessly of love, and Amber would soon have to eat her words.


    But in that moment, because she wasn¡¯t aware of what would happen in the near future, she had dered her love very calmly. But Nancy only treated it as ast-ditch effort. She gave up on fighting with her any further, instead smiling and saying, ¡°Alright, what you do is up to you. As long as you¡¯re happy, that¡¯s fine. Anyways, emotions are a very small portion of your life, so let¡¯s stop talking about it. Let¡¯s go see your patient instead.¡±


    Amber felt like she had just been steamrolled, but she still took Nancy to see Elly, first taking out her medical reports and her observation diary; it was a habit of hers to record daily observations of each of her patients in a diary.


    Her observations were particrly detailed, even including her insight on how their treatments were progressing. Nancy thought highly of this practice, and she had requested that all her future students do the same. But no matter what, Amber¡¯s were still the best.


    Nancy¡¯s observationsted for half the afternoon. She even personally observed Elly for quite a while. In the end, she said to Amber, ¡°I think that your treatment methodology will work, but hospitals care more about efficiency. Luckily, with the way her situation is, she doesn¡¯t have any family members pressuring her to leave the hospital. Thus, you can take your time and observe her while trying to find the best method to treat her. Who knows, you might even make a major finding in our current understanding of this syndrome.¡±


    Amber had never been thinking about any of that. All she wanted to do was her duty as a doctor. What Nancy appreciated about her the most was this quality that Amber embodied: her ability to forge ahead, devoid of selfishness or desire for fame; all her passion rested with her patients.


    If not for the fact that Amber had already signed a long-term contract with the hospital, Nancy would have snatched her up for her ownboratory.


    And as for Elly, Nancy had previously thought that her illness was too unusual to be studied as a part of arger set of medical cases.


    But after reading through Amber¡¯s observation diary, Nancy became much more interested in the case-not only did Elly suffer from Cotard¡¯s syndrome, but she also had the ssic symptoms of autism and depression. As a test subject, she would definitely be a valuable addition to her clinical study.

 Chapter 106. LET’S GET MARRIED

    Amber didn¡¯t yet know that Nancy¡¯s thoughts were steering this way towards her patient; after she sent Nancy away, she went back to look at Elly again.


    Thanks to her recording device, Elly was now very familiar with Amber¡¯s voice, and even if Amber were to stand in front of her, she would no longer have an extreme violent reaction. But they still couldn¡¯tmunicate.


    Amber had tried to y games with her, simple finger games where she would twist her fingers together and stretch them in front of Elly in different ways, saying things like, ¡°Look, this is a piece of ginger.¡± ¡°This is the moon.¡± ¡°This is the wind in a willow tree.¡±


    Elly only ever looked at her expressionlessly, as if she were staring at a foolish mortal.N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    What the mortal Amber was diligently trying to aplish was probably about the limits of what Elly could tolerate. Seeing no response from her erstwhile patient, Amber could only leave in defeat.


    ***


    It was already time to get off work, and the nurses were getting ready to change shifts at their station. Amber made onest stop at Ian¡¯s ward to check up on him.


    Ian hadn¡¯t woken up yet, but his entire family was all here, neat and orderly as they waited outside. And then Amber finally saw Ian¡¯s little brother, Daren Axton.


    The two looked at each other, and Amber was the one to react first. ¡°It¡¯s you?¡±


    Daren was actually the student auditing her ss, the one who loved to sleep and who always blushed upon making eye contact!


    Daren¡¯s face immediately flushed red, all the way to the tip of his ears, and he scrambled behind his grandfather. Daren¡¯s grandmother asked curiously, ¡°Dr. Camille, you know our little Daren?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen him around school a couple of times.¡±


    ¡°Wow, really? You must share a connection.¡± Although his grandparents found it somewhat curious that their grandson, an applied math major, would know Amber, who was a psychiatrist, they were both very pleased.


    It clearly showed on their faces, and Amber felt that interacting with these two old folks would only increase her stress, so she instead went to look for Ian¡¯s head doctor. She found out that, despite the fact that they had yet to identify the bacteria responsible for Ian¡¯s health issues, his response to the medicine was very good.


    Amber could finally rx. Ian¡¯s grandmother was grabbing her hand and trying to chat with her some more when Amber¡¯s phone rang. It was a call from the nurses¡¯ station. ¡°Dr. Camille, haven¡¯t you left yet? Your boyfriend¡¯s here for you!¡±


    Amber was somewhat surprised and also a little excited, because, judging by Calvin¡¯s personality, it was quite unusual for him to pick her up the afternoon after they had had a fight in the morning.


    She didn¡¯t tarry any longer, and quickly returned to her own department. Once she entered the room, the nurse pointed in the direction of her office. Amber smiled and thanked her before pushing the door open and entering.


    Calvin was facing the window, his back to the door. He was dressed in a suit, which only further entuated his smart and handsome looks, truly an elegant man.


    Amber crept over, trying to tease him, but Calvin turned around before she could stretch her hand out.


    ¡°Eh~¡± Amber stuck her tongue out cutely, retracting her ws. ¡°You caught me.¡±


    But Calvin looked at her seriously.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°Amber, let¡¯s get married.¡±


    Calvin was very serious, his tone and expression earnest.


    Amber was suddenly reminded of a time when they were still in school. One day, he had abruptly said, ¡°Let¡¯s skip school.¡±


    Without any premonition, a usually industrious and model student had suddenly proposed to skip school, and he had even dragged another good student along with him. As two of the top students in the best ss, Amber didn¡¯t even need to think to know what the consequences would be.


    At that time, however, she was calm and cool-headed, and had first asked him, ¡°To where? For how long?¡± Afraid that he would start seriously nning, she even added, ¡°If we¡¯re gone for too long, I have to get some more money.¡±


    Calvin hadn¡¯t thought about any of that; he just wanted to skip school, to run far, far away.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s think about it first.¡±


    And so they thought about where they would go, how much money they would have to bring, what might happen on the way, what they would do if an emergency happened but after making all their ns, though they had skipped school in their minds, nothing ever came of it.


    Why? Because it was too troublesome.


    And to extend that to now, getting married wasn¡¯t like skipping school. It was a far more troublesome event with evenrger aftershocks-presently, they were only aftershocks because, having not met each other¡¯s parents yet, they hadn¡¯t really settled their rtionship. Thus, they were still, in many ways, unprepared for marriage.


    All of these thoughts raced through Amber¡¯s head, but her expression remained unchanged. She even smiled and naturally asked, ¡°Why are you suddenly talking about this now?¡±


    Calvin stubbornly asked, ¡°Are you unwilling?¡±


    Of course, because the conditions weren¡¯t ripe yet!


    Amber smiled, pulled him into a seat, and then poured him a ss of water as she said, ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯m unwilling, but rather it¡¯s that there are too many things that we haven¡¯t yet considered, like are we going to have a banquet afterwards? Oh, we probably have to-my mother only has me and my brother, so she¡¯s been thinking about our marriages for a long time.


    But where would we host it, and how many people would we invite? Who would help us? We¡¯re both new to all of this, so we definitely have to get someone else to help, but before that, we still have to meet each other¡¯s parents, don¡¯t we?


    And then we¡¯ll have to think about where to stay after we get married, how to set up our bridal chamber, who¡¯s going to take care of the baby if we have one soon my mother and your mother are both too busy to help, you know-so we¡¯ll have to hire a nanny.


    But since we¡¯re both busy with our work, our baby would then be with a stranger for the entire day, so we definitely have to choose a good nanny well in advance, or it¡¯ll be easy for all sorts of incidents to crop up ¡­.¡±


    In one breath, she listed out a whole pile of incidents that could happen and lead to all sorts of developmental and educational issues with their child. Then, she continued talking about the problems that came about from all sorts of parents getting married, expected or otherwise.

 Chapter 107. ARE YOU UNHAPPY?

    Calvin just looked at Amber dumbstruck. It was because marriage was just a thought that had popped into his head, and the rest-he hadn¡¯t thought about it at all.


    He couldn¡¯t even tell her to not overthink it, because Amber was very seriously nning their future. After she finished speaking her thoughts, she even looked at him seriously, waiting for his response.


    But he couldn¡¯t even answer her first question about the banquet. It wasn¡¯t that he was unwilling, or that he couldn¡¯t, but just that he wasn¡¯t sure if his mother would prevent it.


    All he wanted to do was get married, just the two of them, and after properly (in truth, secretly) getting their marriage certificate, they would move in together; his ns didn¡¯t ount for anyone else.


    Amber was still looking at him, waiting for his answer.


    He smiled. ¡°Amber, do you really want to get married?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t object to it.¡±


    ¡®Yes, no objections, but not amitment either.¡¯ Calvin thought she would have been shy and pleasantly surprised about it, or even astonished and unpleasantly surprised.


    However, Amber disyed neither of these two sets of emotions. Instead, she theorized coolly about the future, her words like a cold basin of water that had sshed him awake.


    Only then did he realize his own hurry and carelessness-he didn¡¯t even have a ring with which to propose to her.


    After being silent for a moment, he asked, ¡°Then when are you free? I¡¯d like to bring you to meet my mother.¡±


    This time, it wasn¡¯t like skipping school, because he wouldn¡¯t give up on his ns so easily.


    Amber agreed. ¡°Alright.¡±


    Calvin left with a heavy heart, but only when he reached the lobby did he remember that it was time to leave work; hadn¡¯t hee here to fetch her?


    But how was he to return now? Ha, all it would do was clearly show Amber how careless he was towards marriage.


    In truth, Amber really hadn¡¯t noticed his carelessness, because she had been focused on herself-Calvin¡¯s proposal made her realize a very surprising thing, which was that, even after they had be a couple, she didn¡¯t really want to get married.


    She had never nned on being single for the rest of her life like her professor, but in her current n for the future, she hadn¡¯t really thought about marriage, and she wasn¡¯t looking forward to it at all.


    This really made her quite vexed. Amber caressed her forehead and sighed, only breaking out of her reverie when the nurse came in, looking for her.Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    After Amber dealt with the nurse¡¯s request, she contacted a few of her friends, specifically, the ones who were still single at Trysta¡¯s marriage, and asked them to go out.


    One responded, ¡°I¡¯m at my boyfriend¡¯s house.¡±


    Another, ¡°I¡¯m not free today. I¡¯m going on a blind date.¡±


    Only Silviaughed loudly upon picking up. ¡°Wahaha, I¡¯m finally not single anymore. Did you call because you found out and are nning on celebrating with me?¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you secure your own affairs first?¡±


    Unable to help herself, she even tried calling Trysta, who had just gotten married, but she was also busy, with a business trip as her excuse.


    Everyone was preupied with their own affairs.


    With no other option, Amber could only make herself busy as well. Coincidentally, Ian¡¯s grandfather called her just then. ¡°Could we trouble you toe over? My wife¡¯s gone home to rest because she was exhausted, and our grandson¡¯s unwilling to eat.¡±


    So Amber went over, bumping into Ian¡¯s father on the way there. When they met, he stopped and asked, ¡°Are you really Ian¡¯s friend?¡±


    Amber blinked, and Ian father¡¯s expression warmed up several degrees from its previously frosty state as he nodded appreciatively at her. ¡°Given his temper, it must have been hard on you.¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    Only upon seeing Ian¡¯s grandfather did she realize the whole story. The old man was yelling at his son in front of a few young men. ¡°Don¡¯t you have any patience? All you do is keep ring up. Ian¡¯s body is weak, so isn¡¯t it normal for him to be unable to eat?¡±


    After she walked closer, she found that most of these people were actually already familiar: Billy, Ansell, and someone she didn¡¯t seem to know. When Billy saw her, he introduced the third person to her. ¡°This is Simon.¡±


    Amber thought back long and hard until she finally remembered something. During the first time she had yed mah jjong with Billy, it seemed as though a man had had to cancel on them, which was why she had to stand in for him in the first ce.


    Simon looked pretty average, but his smile was cordial. ¡°In the few months while I was out, yours was the name that I heard the most. It¡¯s nice to finally meet you.¡±


    Amber was somewhat embarrassed, and she didn¡¯t bother asking what he had heard about her, instead exchanging a few pleasantries before quickly saying, ¡°I¡¯m going to go inside to look at him first.¡±


    This was her way of hiding. She much preferred working with her patients over social interactions.


    Billy and the rest exchanged a knowing nce with each other behind her back. Simon said, ¡°This doctor seems so gentle. Can she really do anything?¡±


    Ian¡¯s grandfather trusted herpletely, and nodded confidently. ¡°Of course she can. I¡¯ve never seen Ian so obedient before.¡±


    Everyone grew even more curious, but unfortunately, the door to Ian¡¯s ward was tightly closed. In general, visitors weren¡¯t allowed in; Ian¡¯s father had only been allowed in because Ian had refused to speak or talk to anyone. However, he had gotten so angry that he had been forced to leave.


    ***


    Amber again put on her mask and istion suit before entering. Ian was sleeping peacefully, a sumptuous and nourishing meal by his bedside.


    The nurse was watching him from the side of the room. Upon seeing Amber, she quietly said, ¡°He refuses to eat anything. This isn¡¯t good for his recovery.¡±


    Amber smiled understandingly and walked over. Actually, Ian was only pretending to sleep when he heard her footsteps, he opened his eyes.


    ¡°Do you want to eat something?¡± Amber pretended to not know anything, and asked this question naturally as she sat down in front of his bed.


    Ian didn¡¯t respond, only looking at her.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you have something. Won¡¯t it be nice to get out of here earlier? How terrible it must feel to be cooped up in here.¡±


    She took a bowl of porridge and held a spoonful up to his mouth.


    The two stayed still until Ian finally relented, opening his mouth-it truly was quite ufortable to stay here. He felt trapped in this pure white room, which was too small and hard to bear.


    But after seeing her, it didn¡¯t feel as hard to bear anymore.


    He finished the bowl of porridge and ate some of the other dishes as well. Throughout the whole process, Amber kept talking about random things, like how much his grandmother was worried about him, how often his grandfather thought of him, and how she had met Billy and the rest, including a man called Simon.


    Her voice was very pleasant to the ear, neither hurried nor slow, and neither anxious nor impatient. It was soft and gentle, like a rxed spring breeze.


    But Ian could still detect something off in her voice. He looked at her, suddenly asking, ¡°Are you unhappy?¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±

 Chapter 108. ARE YOU SHY?

    This was perhaps the first time that Ian had ever asked about someone else¡¯s emotions since she had met him.


    Honestly, Amber was a little surprised. She wanted to support this sort of behavior from him, so she reached out and touched her facemask with her glove as she sighed and said, ¡°You can tell even though I¡¯m dressed up like this?¡±


    Ian snorted lightly, and Amber decided to put down the bowl. The nurse came over to clean everything up, and once he was done, Amber propped her head on her hand and observed him carefully.N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    Her eyes were slightly curved up as her bright pupils stared straight into him, as if they were piercing through him and gazing upon his heart.


    Ian had once read in a sappy romance book that if she loves you, then her eyes would be filled with stars. He used to scoff at such sayings, but now, it really did seem like her eves were filled with stars.


    He didn¡¯t know why he felt this way; perhaps it was because of her gentleness and voice, her eyes that always held a smile no matter what she encountered, and her resolute will that never seemed to be afraid of anything.


    Amber found that the Mr. Axton in front of her had suddenly taken on a serious expression, but his ears were ming red. In the past, she probably would have assumed that she had somehow identally made him mad. But given Ian¡¯s novel behavior, she was guessing ¡­ that he was probably embarrassed right now?


    Upon realizing this, Amber ¡­ also became embarrassed. She wasn¡¯t deliberately staring at him. ¡®My goodness, this guy wasn¡¯t having any wild thoughts, was he?¡¯


    Amber quickly shifted her gaze away and changed conversation topics. ¡°I¡¯m not unhappy. It¡¯s just that something happened to me recently, which made me suddenly understand something.¡±


    She spoke in a very vague fashion. Ian nced at her briefly. ¡°You¡¯re hiding something.¡±


    Amberughed.


    ¡°I¡¯m a bit unsure of what to tell you.¡± After thinking about it a little, she asked, ¡°Why did you want me to sign that contract in the beginning?¡±


    After a period of silence, Ian noittaly replied, ¡°Romance, marriage, isn¡¯t it necessary?¡± He looked at her. ¡°You¡¯ve got guts.¡±


    Actually, not only did she have guts, but she was also very calm and not at all annoying. He put on the pretense that they had had a one-night stand, but not only had she not made a fuss or cried about it, but she had even calmly investigated the situation on her own afterwards. And in the end, she didn¡¯t mind letting him know that she knew everything.


    At that time, he had felt that, if romance and marriage were indeed necessary, then he¡¯d choose her to be his partner.


    He didn¡¯t speak very much, and because of his body¡¯s condition, his words were spoken somewhat softly, but Amber understood him nheless.


    It was just that the wise and strong Mr. Axton had gotten so sick of his grandparents insisting that he had to get into a rtionship and get married that he had thought that he might as well choose a girl who he found pleasing.


    Amberughed when she heard this even though his answer didn¡¯t surprise her at all. When Ian saw her stop talking, he frowned, looking at her.


    ¡®Was he waiting for her to continue? This guy must be bored to death,nguishing in here all day.¡¯


    Unfortunately, she couldn¡¯t tell him that Calvin had proposed to her, so Amber instead found another reason to exin away her unhappiness.


    ¡°I was scolded by my department head again.¡± She thought that she had stumbled upon a good excuse. ¡°So much so that now, I understand that I can¡¯t just butt my head into random affairs anymore.¡±


    Ian kept looking at her. After a while, he unexpectedly said, ¡°Did that guy propose to you? And you don¡¯t want to get married?¡±


    Amber¡¯s eyes widened involuntarily. She wanted to deny it, but the time had already passed. ¡°It seems like that¡¯s the case.¡±


    Amber was once again rendered speechless. ¡°If you¡¯re this perceptive, then you¡¯ll lose the rest of your friends.¡±


    Ian started smiling, very faintly, but he was truly smiling now.


    Amber asked, ¡°How did you know?¡± But in her heart, she wondered if her hesitation was that obvious.


    Ian must truly have been bored because he patiently exined, ¡°It¡¯s not your expression, but rather your words. If you had been scolded by your director, then why would you start off by asking me about our agreement? You clearly haven¡¯t studied psychology properly.¡±


    Amber¡¯s face was red from embarrassment. She had actually been told by her own patient that she didn¡¯t have a good grasp of psychology. ¡®How mortifying.¡¯


    She clutched her face in mock shock. ¡°No wonder I always end up kicking myself in the foot when I¡¯m with you. It must be because you know more about psychology than I do.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that to be expected? After all, you¡¯re stupid.¡±


    ¡°Are you consoling me? What sort of response am I supposed to give if you talk to me like that?¡±


    Mr. Axton didn¡¯t care at all how she would respond, and just coolly grunted in response. However, his eyes subconsciously revealed a bit of mirth.


    The two kept talking like this. When she confirmed that Ian seemed to be feeling better, Amber finally got up and left.


    When she left, her head started hurting about the prospect of having to meet Calvin¡¯s mother. At that time, she thought that Calvin had proposed out of the blue because he had been provoked by Ian. It was not until afterwards that she had found out that it actually had nothing to do with him.

 Chapter 109. SHE WAS BEING WARNED

    Calvin worked quite quickly. A dayter, he told Amber that he had arranged things with his mother. The appointed date was set for Christmas Eve. Amber¡¯s family usually didn¡¯t celebrating such holidays, so Amber didn¡¯t need to go home to be with her family. And because they had scheduled it beforehand, she couldn¡¯t just push it off, either.


    Amber didn¡¯t want to push it off because she had thought it through very carefully. Although she felt that their rtionship hadn¡¯t reached the point of marriage, if the groom was to be Calvin, then it didn¡¯t seem like a big problem. They had known each other for so many years, so whether they got married first and then developed their romanceter or vice versa, both were about the same to her; both required somemitment.


    After preparing herself mentally, Amber waited to meet Calvin¡¯s mother. She hadn¡¯t mentioned this to anyone else, but Ian had noticed it when she went to see him-he really was a patient now, as his illness had scared the Axton family half to death. So, upon their request, the virology department had asked a doctor from the psychiatry department to meet him for a consultation.


    Amber was that doctor, which meant that she would see him for a routine checkup and his daily treatments. When Ian was clearheaded, he didn¡¯t need any counselling, and she couldn¡¯t do any physiological therapy either, as he was so bored from staying in the hospital that more often than not, Amber ended up being his research subject instead. He would always find some gap or loophole in her words, and then use it to analyze her feelings from that.


    That day, he told Amber, ¡°You¡¯re very nervous.¡±


    Amber was silent, now finally understanding the envy that her senior Beryl must have felt towards her. ¡°If you were to switch professions, then you would leave all of us with nowhere to go.¡±


    Ian proudly raised his jaw.


    Upon hearing this, Ian finally looked somewhat speechless, somewhat helplessly asking her, ¡°Do you think of me as a fortune teller?¡±


    Amberughed.


    This topic passed without any furtherment. Amber didn¡¯t exin why she was nervous, and neither did Ian ask. As he watched her leave, his gaze slowly became cold.


    Perhaps it was because of him, but Amber¡¯s feelings eventually calmed down at the final juncture.


    But, that day she wasn¡¯t able to meet up with Calvin on time because his mother had directlye to the hospital.N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    At that time, Amber still hadn¡¯t gotten off of work. While she was arranging thest batch of medical records for her patients, she received a call from Calvin¡¯s mother.


    On the phone, her voice was superficially calm and gentle. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for the short notice, and I know we¡¯ll see each other soon. However, before then, I¡¯d like to meet you first. Is that fine?¡±


    ¡°Where?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m at the hospital.¡±


    Amber went out, and indeed saw Calvin¡¯s mother right outside. But she wasn¡¯t alone; with her was another girl that Amber also recognized. That girl had a very youthful face and a delicate and charming look. Before she spoke, she was the epitome of grace and demure elegance.


    Upon seeing Amber, she raised her eyes slightly. Within her gaze was an unsavory hint of provocation.


    Before Calvin¡¯s mother could speak, she said, ¡°Dr. Camille, we meet again.¡±


    After hesitating for a brief moment, Amber greeted Melody back with a smiling expression. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you, Miss Lee.¡±


    Calvin¡¯s mother, somewhat surprised, asked, ¡°Do the two of you know each other?¡±


    Melody nonchntly said, ¡°Yes, Dr. Camille¡¯s a good person.¡±


    Calvin¡¯s mother looked at Amber again curiously. ¡°That¡¯s good, then.¡± She patted Melody¡¯s hand. ¡°Let me speak with Amber for a little bit. Wait here for me, alright?¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Melody even waved at Amber amiably. ¡°Goodbye, Dr. Camille.¡±


    Amber had seen how temperamental Melody could be, so her demure behavior now only felt strange to her. However, she didn¡¯t say anything and brought Calvin¡¯s mother into her office instead. ¡°Would you like something to drink?¡±


    Calvin¡¯s mother shook her head. ¡°Don¡¯t bother. Let¡¯s just talk.¡±


    Amber nheless still poured her a ss of water before sitting down, facing her.


    The gaze that Calvin¡¯s mother was directing towards Amber was exceptionally kind, reminding her of a simr gaze that she had seen many years ago, when Amber and Calvin had been walking through the streets on a school-sanctioned extracurricr activity.


    When they ran into Calvin¡¯s mother, she had looked at her with a simr gaze that was part kind, part gratifying, and part frustrated, saying, ¡°My little Calvin also has a friend now.¡±


    At that time, Amber hadn¡¯t noticed her frustration, but now, as Calvin¡¯s mother kept talking, Amber finally understood what it meant.


    Calvin¡¯s mother speech was long-winded, with two main points. ¡°Amber, you¡¯re a good child, and I like you very much. I¡¯ve liked you since your high school days. However, you¡¯re notpatible with Calvin -he¡¯s suffered through a rough childhood with me, and I don¡¯t want him to suffer anymore. I want him to have an outstanding and sessful career.¡±


    So while she did like Amber, she felt that Amber couldn¡¯t help Calvin.


    Amber listened passively. Only when Calvin¡¯s mother finished talking did she ask, ¡°Mrs. Kenric, does Calvin know that you reached out to me today?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t told him, but I know that you¡¯re a sensible child, and I¡¯ve always liked you. So, I¡¯m sure you won¡¯t do anything that would embarrass both of uster on.¡± She then leaned in and asked surreptitiously, ¡°You don¡¯t want to do this either, do you?¡±


    Amber had long since predicted that Calvin¡¯s mother would oppose their rtionship, having heard all about her aspirations and ns for Calvin. All of this was within her predictions, but she didn¡¯t treat it like an obstacle.


    Calvin wasn¡¯t a piece of dough to be kneaded and rolled around, and neither was she. She felt that she and Calvin could definitely be happy together. Although she wouldn¡¯t be able to further his career very much, she definitely wouldn¡¯t be pulling him down either.


    Furthermore, if Calvin wanted to start a business, she had a few connections of her own.


    With that in mind, Amber asked her second question. ¡°Mrs. Kenric, what would you consider a sessful life?¡±


    Without missing a beat, Calvin¡¯s mother replied, ¡°Money and power! We don¡¯t have any power, so we can only focus on making money. Lots and lots of money.¡± She looked at Amber, her gaze revealing her naked ambition, so calm that one couldn¡¯t even dislike her.


    ¡°I know that you definitely can¡¯t understand my thoughts. But no matter what, I only want Calvin to be able to live a carefree life, without needing to suffer through hardships or be forced to do something he doesn¡¯t want to because of money.¡±


    ¡°Mrs. Kenric, do you feel that having both money and power will allow one to lead a carefree life?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    She was so certain, so full of confidence, that Amber didn¡¯t try to persuade her otherwise -someone who felt this deeply about a subject wouldn¡¯t be easily persuaded by mere words.


    Calvin¡¯s mother hadn¡¯te to be persuaded by her, either; these words were ones that she had always kept in her heart, hidden away from everyone else. Once she revealed them, she could only forge forward on that path of hers relentlessly.


    Amber then asked her final question. ¡°If I¡¯m unwilling to separate with Calvin, then what will you do, Mrs. Kenric?¡±

 Chapter 110. BECAUSE YOU MADE HIM UNHAPPY

    ¡°If I¡¯m unwilling to separate with Calvin, then what will you do, Mrs. Kenric?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best to make you two break up.¡± Calvin mother¡¯s expression was severe. ¡°Amber, do you know how I managed to escape with him that year? He had to threaten to kill himself. He was only twelve, but he put a knife by his neck and told me, ¡®Mom, if I die, will there be peace again?¡¯ Do you know how I¡¯ve lived all these years? I¡¯m 38, but I married an old man whose hair is turning white.


    So many people have looked down upon me, and even my stepchildren guard against me as if I were a thief. They look down on Calvin in the same way. I was weak for half of my life, so I caused him to suffer so much.


    Now, I don¡¯t want him to have to suffer anymore. I don¡¯t want him to be looked down upon for the rest of his life. Though you might feel that wealth won¡¯t necessarily bring you respect, it¡¯ll definitely at least shut their mouths! It¡¯s just like how, if I bring their old man out to discipline those sons and daughters of his, what can they do?¡±


    As she said thisst sentence, her face reflected a bit of pride, as if she had won a spiritual victory.


    ¡°Did you see that girl just now? If you know her, then you should know that she and Calvin are colleagues, but only colleagues. She¡¯s a board member of Lee Commerce. Oh, perhaps you don¡¯t know about Lee Commerce. It¡¯s the domestic proxy for a number ofrge global brands, which you¡¯d probably recognize if I mentioned them.¡±


    She rattled off a fewpanies, and even though Amber herself didn¡¯t care about these things, she knew that most people in the country would go mad over thosepanies products.


    Calvin¡¯s mother didn¡¯t think that this sort of rtionship was immoral, and she didn¡¯t even acknowledge the fact that if Calvin had such a girlfriend, people would think that they were only together because he was eyeing her position and connections. ¡°It¡¯s just that we¡¯re trying to find a higher starting point. Marriage is nothing more than a job, doing it well will bring happiness.¡±N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    It was rare for Amber to be unable to counter an argument, but she was actually struck speechless after hearing Calvin mother¡¯s ¡®confident¡¯ speech. She didn¡¯t argue back, as she knew that Calvin¡¯s mother wouldn¡¯t listen to her; if she talked with reason, Calvin¡¯s mother would appeal to emotion; if she appealed to emotion, then Calvin¡¯s mother would switch to reason.


    If they weren¡¯t on the same page, then what was the point of talking any further?


    ***


    Amber politely sent Calvin¡¯s mother out. They didn¡¯t see Melody at the entrance, and Calvin¡¯s mother directly left after making a phone call.


    Amber stood by the elevator. As she watched the doors close, the smile on her face finally copsed. She rubbed her exhausted face, lightly breathing out.


    As she turned around, she unexpectedly saw Melody, who had told Calvin¡¯s mother that she had already gone down. She was standing by the elevator on the other end of the corridor; it wasn¡¯t clear if she had juste up or if she had always been standing there.


    At this hour, there weren¡¯t many people left in this area of the hospital. Only the two of them stood in the corridor.


    Amber stopped moving, merely looking at Melody.


    Melody slowly walked in front of Amber as a brilliant smile lit up her face. ¡°Mrs. Kenric likes me very much, and wants me to be her daughter-inw. Dr. Camille, I really want to reject her because you¡¯re a good person, and because I like you very much.¡±


    At this point, Amber wanted tough. Today, she had been told that she was a good person by two different people; they both said they liked her very much, but hidden behind their liking was a ¡®but¡¯.


    Melody¡¯s ¡®but¡¯ was that ¡°Calvin¡¯s genuinely a very gentle person, and he looks so beautiful when he smiles. At first, I didn¡¯t want to steal him away, but Dr. Camille, why did you have to make him unhappy?¡±


    After being lectured in psychology by Ian, Amber was now being taught how to be a better girlfriend by Melody. This girl who had just broken free of her depression said, ¡°Dr. Camille, you¡¯re not doing a very good job at being a girlfriend. Even if we ignore the fact that you don¡¯t have any time to spend with him, you still have an unclear rtionship with another man. You always make him unhappy, forcing him to drink, making him wan and sallow. For you, he even hurt me.¡±


    As she said this, she rolled up her sleeves and stretched out her hand with an innocent expression on her face. ¡°Look at how forceful he was. He even left such a big bruise. It hurts so much.¡±


    Amber didn¡¯t know what she was feeling at that moment, but it was probably something akin to the feeling of identally swallowing a shard of bone while eating chicken feet. It wasn¡¯t a big piece, but it had gotten stuck in a particrly aggravating spot; she couldn¡¯t swallow or cough it out, which made it all the more disgusting.


    She looked at Melody, who seemed to have beenpletely cured of her depression. Her mien was entirely devoid of her earlier gloom and reservation, her eyes bright and vivacious.


    When Amber had told Melody her own story of redemption and rebirth, she had not imagined that it would help the girl in front of her find such a ¡°novel¡± path forward.


    Suppressing her disgust, she asked Melody, ¡°Are you certain that you like him?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Melody answered without hesitation.


    Amber smiled. She sympathized with Melody, but she refrained from saying anything more.

 Chapter 111. DEFEAT BY DEFEAT

    When Amber got back to her office, she received a text message from Melody that consisted of three photographs.


    The backdrop of the first photograph was some hotel. In it, Calvin was hugging Melody, and she had clearly used her phone to covertly take this picture. The photograph was time-stamped out of ¡®consideration.¡¯


    Amber had a good memory, and recognized the date as the second day of the fishing expedition by Amber¡¯s house.


    That day, Calvin had originally said that he would apany her, but then, his office had needed him for a sudden business trip. He wasn¡¯t gone for too long, only a single day, and he hade to her house the next morning, saying he would take her to work. That was when he¡¯d encountered Ian.


    The backdrop of the second photograph was a bar. In the dusky lighting, a man¡¯s hand was tightly entangled with a woman¡¯s. This photograph was also time stamped.


    If Amber remembered correctly, it should have been a few days ago, when she had insisted on seeing the ill Ian. What had Calvin said when he saw her the next day? Oh, that he had been drinking with his colleagues. Then, he had pounced on her in a drunken haze.


    In the third photograph, Melody was lying by Calvin¡¯s side, and their heads were propped up next to each other. Melody was smiling towards the camera, and Calvin was asleep by her side.


    Thisst photograph was the most recent one, and that day after it, Calvin had proposed to her out of the blue.


    The phone suddenly rang, and Amber couldn¡¯t see the photographs anymore. In their ce was a screen with the characters ¡®Calvin¡¯.


    Amber didn¡¯t pick up. After thinking about it for a moment, she forwarded the three photos to Calvin. If Melody was so brazen as to send her these photographs, then she probably wasn¡¯t afraid of Calvin seeing them either.


    Calvin quickly called again, and Amber picked up this time.


    ¡°Where are you?¡±


    ¡°The hospital.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯lle and find you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother.¡± Amber sighed. ¡°I¡¯m going to leave now.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll go to your house!¡±


    Actually, Amber didn¡¯t want to see him right now. However, his voice was so ridden with anxiety that she relented. To be fair, she couldn¡¯t just take Melody¡¯s story for granted-she should also let Calvin exin his side of the story too. Melody¡¯s mental condition was clearly somewhat abnormal, and what she had said might not be the whole truth.


    But if Melody were making things up, then Calvin¡¯s tone should have been angry, not flustered and exasperated.


    Amber went home. Because her departure had been dyed, she ended up returning a bitter than nned.


    In the end, Calvin never showed up. He called her, saying, ¡°Sorry, but something came up with my mom. I can¡¯t go over at the moment.¡±


    Amber had just reached her front doorstep when the call came. As Calvin talked, she smiled and thought back to Calvin¡¯s mother ¡°I will do my best to separate the two of you.¡± She was suddenly overwhelmed with the feeling that she had been blind; despite knowing Calvin mother¡¯s attitude, she had still fallen into this situation unknowingly.


    ¡®Was I too confident, thinking that I had the ability to deal with this?¡¯


    Amber¡¯sck of response made Calvin even more anxious. ¡°Amber, even though I can¡¯t go over, can you still listen to me exin? Those photographs aren¡¯t real. That day, thepany suddenly notified me that I had to go on a business trip with Melody. When we arrived at the hotel, she twisted her ankle and was unable to walk, so I had to carry her up the stairs.


    And that day, when I was drinking, it really was with all of my colleagues, and they can confirm this. I only drank that much because I was mad that you had insisted on seeing Ian that night. All she did was try to persuade me to not drink so much. How could I have known that a colleague sitting opposite us would take that picture, and, and that time ¡­.¡±


    In the middle of his exnation, he suddenly stopped for a moment, and Amber faintly heard him yell out exasperatedly, ¡°Can you let me finish my call?!¡±


    Then, he continued exining to Amber. ¡°Thest picture is something she set up. Amber, I always thought that she was just ill, and the reason I was nice to her was because, as you said, she was ill, and she needed patience and care. I only ever treated her like your patient, and I¡¯ve never had any unfaithful thoughts about her. I don¡¯t like her, and I won¡¯t marry her. The person I love will always be you.¡±


    ¡°Ha! If you only love her, then does my Melody deserve to be thrown away after being used by you?¡± A strange voice suddenly came from the other end of the line before the call hung up in a very timely fashion.


    A total mess!


    Amber unlocked her phone expressionlessly, wanting to send him a text message. As she aimlessly stared at the screen, she realized that she had nothing else to say.


    Her friend feed, however, was bursting with colors and excitement. Some people were being lovey-dovey, as usual, others were showing off their presents and purchases, others uploading pictures of the crowds on the streets, and yet others sighing. It really made her feel like everyone was enjoying themselves while she was the only one working.


    In her ssmates group, Silvia was sending red packets into the group chat. Trysta even messaged her to ¡°Go snatch¡¯s red packets!¡±


    Even she, who didn¡¯tck money, felt happy upon snatching up a red packet with 8. 8 dor in it.


    As for Amber, her luck was pretty good, and she picked up one of thergest red packets that Silvia sent. Everyone hollered for her to give out some red packets, too, so Amber magnanimously sent out ten with 88 dor each inside.


    She very rarely snatched or sent out red packets in that group chat, so her actions caused amotion in the chat, and everyone asked her if something good had happened.N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    Amber very seriously replied, ¡°Someone tried to give me a lesson, and I realized that I¡¯m quite dumb. Does that count?¡±


    Everyoneughed, and someone even posted a horrified emoji in the chat. ¡°If a doctor like you is dumb, then what about the rest of us?¡±


    Amberughed, and elected not to respond. Silvia called her and Trysta messaged her at the same time, both asking the same thing. ¡°Who, who did that?¡±


    Amber didn¡¯t respond. She mmed her head into her desk, very much overwhelmed. She wasn¡¯t actually all that sad, but it felt like there was an immovable fireball in her heart that she couldn¡¯t expel.


    In the past, she thought that she would seed in anything she did. But recently, she¡¯d suffered defeat after defeat, always having to reflect critically on her own actions afterwards.

 Chapter 112. CAME TO ACCOMPANY HER

    Amber wanted to read a book, but couldn¡¯t calm down enough to do so, so she posted a message on her feed ¡°I want to go out and explore the town¡±. ¡®Does anyone want to apany me?¡¯


    She quickly received many responses, but they were almost all persuading her against it. ¡°Going on the streets at this time-are you mad?¡±


    Ruby also responded with, ¡°My sister¡¯s finally ready to have fun! My heart¡¯s reassured, but can you pick another time?¡±


    But the person she was waiting for never answered her. It wasn¡¯t until around 8:30 that Ian suddenly called her. ¡°Are you home?¡±N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    ¡°Yup.¡±


    ¡°Come down.¡±


    Amber hesitated. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you want to go for a stroll?¡± Ian¡¯s tone was as cool as usual.


    Amber¡¯s shock quickly turned into anger. ¡°You left the hospital? How could you leave the hospital?¡± She hurriedly ran out without even changing her clothes.


    Ian was indeed waiting outside her apartment, apanied by old Mr. Charlie. He was sitting in the backseat with a face mask and a bundle of clothes.


    ¡°How did you convince the doctor on duty to let you out?¡±


    Despite the fact that Ian was responding very well to his treatment and had been transferred to the regr wards yesterday, he was still technically in a critical period. How could the doctor have possibly let him out?


    Ian¡¯s style was to ignore anything that he didn¡¯t like. He looked at her disdainfully as he asked, ¡°Why are you dressed like this? Do you think that it¡¯s suitable to go outside when you¡¯re this ugly?¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    Amber was fuming with anger, but she still subconsciously looked down at herself after Ianmented on her appearance.


    She didn¡¯t look that bad. After getting home, she had changed into her regr clothes. They were a little old, but not worn out or anything.


    She looked back at him. This time, she wasn¡¯t as confrontational, and her tone had softened somewhat. ¡°Why are you out of the hospital? There are too many people roaming around outside. It won¡¯t be good for your body.¡±


    Ian responded with a single word, saying, ¡°Long-winded,¡± as if she were a meddlesome mother. Amber scrunched up her face, gave up on him, and instead called the doctor on duty to ask him about the situation.


    That doctor exined, ¡°Oh, have you seen him? He took two hours to go see his girlfriend. He insisted on going, so I let him dress himself up properly and go. Part of it was because his grandmother said that he¡¯s already thirty-something and still hasn¡¯t been able to get into a rtionship, so since he finally has someone that he likes, it wouldn¡¯t be good to stop him from pursuing that.¡±


    When Amber heard the word ¡°girlfriend,¡± her face started to redden, but she stayed calm enough to hear the rest of the exnation before her face truly started burning up. ¡°Were his family members there?¡±


    ¡°Of course. With the way his situation is, I definitely had to ask the department head and inform his family members before I could let him go. He¡¯s doing fine outside, isn¡¯t he?¡±


    Amber looked at Ian. He was sitting there in aposed manner, his face calm and serene. As he watched her talk on the phone, he seemed even more lively than before his illness.


    Afraid that the doctor would worry too much if she reported such astounding results, she could only say, ¡°Oh, he looks just fine at the moment. I coincidentally met him outside and was a bit shocked to see him, so I just wanted to call you to confirm that everything¡¯s ok.¡±


    ¡°Oh, alright. Since you¡¯ve met him, then help him out a little bit. Make sure that he doesn¡¯t go crazy outside, and ¡­,¡± the doctor lowered his voice before mysteriously continuing, ¡°I forgot to tell him. If he wants to do something with his girlfriend, then he should take it easy and not go at it too fiercely.¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    This sort of thing was too hard to exin to Ian, so she hung up expressionlessly.


    The chauffeur, Mr. Charlie, had alreadye over and opened the car door for her. After thinking about it for a moment, Amber got in. Before she could settle in, Ian¡¯s voice rang out from next to her ear. ¡°You¡¯re feeling ufortable.¡±


    She knew that this would happen. Recently, he had gotten very good at grasping her feelings.


    Amber maintained her serious expression. ¡°Why would I be?¡±


    ¡°Did he tell you that I came out to see my girlfriend?¡± Ian asked in an especially serious tone. Amber became visibly frantic, and he sighed. ¡°You¡¯re really overthinking it. What I wanted to say was that, an idiot¡¯s unhappy, and I wanted to stare at her for a little bit.¡±


    This tone ¡­ Amber instantly felt that her shyness and conjectures had been wasted, all gone to the dogs. She consciously ignored the first half of his reply and asked, ¡°How do you know that I¡¯m unhappy?¡±


    Ian answered with a rejoinder. ¡°Didn¡¯t you want to go out on a stroll? Also, don¡¯t women only go out and buy things if they want to feel better when they¡¯re unhappy?¡±


    It was so reasonable that Amber couldn¡¯t refute it.


    ***


    And so they ended up strolling around town.


    Amber didn¡¯t want to be called an idiot. She really hadn¡¯t nned on buying anything, and it had been so long since shest went out she didn¡¯t really care much about shopping.


    The crowds milled about in the streets, whenever there was a holiday, regardless of what holiday it was, it always felt like everyone woulde out. It was hard to find a ce to rest even in the middle of the city, and Amber wanted to go home as soon as she stepped foot into the streets.


    However, since Ian had said that he would apany her, he wouldn¡¯t let them return before she bought something.


    Helpless, Amber ended up buying a jacket each for her mother and father, a little razor for Ruby, and two small handicraft pieces for her.


    On the streets, there were many children ¡°experiencing life¡± by selling apples and Christmas ornaments. Because their parents were apanying them, they were particrly lively, energetically shouting out for customers. But despite how cute they tried to act, Amber didn¡¯t buy anything from them. Instead, she bought a huge bundle of knickknacks from a girl dressed in little more than rags.


    ¡°Dr. Camille, why did you buy from that little child?¡± After they left the little girl¡¯s stall, Mr. Charlie asked Amber. Curiosity stemmed from the fact that, amidst the huge crowd of children, that little girl wasn¡¯t eye-catching at all, not only were her items ordinary, but she was also inarticte, silently standing by her stall as she watched everyone pass by.

 Chapter 113. SHOULD I KISS YOU?

    Amber turned around to look at that girl again, smiling as she did so. ¡°Because she¡¯s the only one out there who¡¯s doing this in order to live.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Mr. Charlie didn¡¯t understand.


    Ian nced at him. Amber was all too familiar with that nce, having been a recipient of his disdain for stupidity far too many times to count.


    But the disdained Mr. Charlie didn¡¯t seem to notice. Amber felt a subconscious desire tough, and she picked out a box and gave it to Ian. ¡°A gift for you, as thanks for apanying me.¡±


    And then she gave the remaining bag of items to Mr. Charlie. ¡°Do you have any kids at home? These are gifts from me.¡±


    As Mr. Charlie took the gifts with a smile, Amber exined why she chose to buy from that child in more detail. ¡°She was dressed inly, but tidily. Her hands had calluses, but her fingernails were very evenly clipped. She was obviously poverty-stricken, but neither helpless nor impatient, and her gaze was clean and gentle.


    While this child might be poor, her family clearly cares for her. The fact that she¡¯s standing out there by herself at a stall and selling ordinary things can only mean that she¡¯s not out there to ¡®experience what life¡¯s like for a regr person,¡¯ but rather because she truly wants to help her family make a bit of money.¡±


    After hearing Amber¡¯s extended exnation, Mr. Charlie praised her. ¡°You really have an eye for detail.¡±


    Amber smiled. ¡°This is nothing. You should look at your own boss.¡±


    Mr. Charlie chuckled; he didn¡¯t dare to speak carelessly about his boss. When he noticed that the car was parked just in front of them, he said, ¡°Why don¡¯t the two of you wait here? I¡¯ll drive the car over.¡±


    Amber and Ian agreed and waited in ce. Thetter was still carrying a bright red box, which contrasted with his cool demeanor and refined clothes to create a strange atmosphere. Amber smiled at the sight. ¡°Shall I take a photo of you?¡±


    He didn¡¯t object, and though his expression remained aloof, it seemed agreeable enough.


    Amber considered it as him tacitly agreeing, so she took out her phone and backup slightly to take a picture. People would frequently walk by in the background, but he stood still in the middle of the moving crowd. Even before the picture was taken, the scene held the ambiance of a destendscape portrait: alone, but calm and lofty.


    As Amber depressed the shutter, a string of gorgeous fireworks suddenly emerged from the za behind him. They whooshed magnificently through the skies, a long tail of sparks following behind them.


    The za quickly became jam-packed as everyone started cheering and heading over. Amber put down her phone and also immersed herself in silently watching the sky that was being brilliantly dyed by the light of the fireworks.


    Against the fireworks¡¯ bright re, she saw the lights in the tallest tower dim and brighten repeatedly as themplight mixed with the incessant splendor of the fireworks; everything seemed like a dazzling light show, almost blinding everyone¡¯s eyes.


    This sudden firework performancested for quite a while, only slowly dissipating after it had grabbed everyone¡¯s attention. The sparkling lights by the building opposite them also gradually stopped blinking, slowly settingly into several clear words. ¡°Dr. Camille, I love you.¡±


    Amber, who was also a Dr. Camille, was struck speechless.


    Ian was uninterested in the fireworks, but when he saw her unusual expression, he raised his eyebrows slightly and turned to see what the matter was. As soon as he saw those words spelled out in fireworks, his face involuntarily turned green with envy.


    Upon seeing his expression, Amber actually calmed down. Good, it had nothing to do with her. With that settled in her mind, she was able to calmly watch the rest of the show, and she even took a few pictures of the glittering words in the sky.N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    Then, Ian¡¯s phone rang. He answered the call, and his eyes revealed a trace of shock a seconds after he answered. He turned around to look at Amber strangely.


    Amber noticed his gaze and walked closer.


    Ian hung up before she could say anything, still gazing at her.


    Amber somewhat anxiously asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    By now, everyone was swarming toward the za, and there was a short-lived moment of calm around them, which let Amber hear Ian¡¯s words especially clearly. He slowly said, ¡°The fireworks were from my grandparents. They said that it was to help me woo you.¡±


    After he finished exining, his gazended on her glistening red lips as he asked, ¡°Should I listen to them and kiss you right now?¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    Ian had asked to kiss Amber seriously. It was so serious that she wanted to simultaneouslyugh and be serious. In the end, Amber responded in an equally serious tone. ¡°Of course you don¡¯t have to listen to them.¡±


    Ian made an ¡®Oh¡¯ sound, showing a hint of dejection. Amber was afraid that he was about to say something else even more shocking, so she didn¡¯t even dare to mention the fireworks or his grandfather. ¡°Why hasn¡¯t the care yet? Now¡¯s a great time to leave.¡±


    Ian called Mr. Charlie, and not long after, he drove out. His expression could hardly conceal his anticipation; once Amber and Ian got into the car, he immediately and delightedly asked Amber, ¡°Dr. Camille, did you enjoy the fireworks just now?¡±


    What could Amber say but ¡°Yes¡±?


    Mr. Charlie then looked at Ian through the rearview mirror. However, his expression was neutral, and his thoughtspletely hidden.


    Amber turned away and looked outside the window. Despite Ian¡¯s grandparents making life difficult for her, as Ian¡¯s doctor, she still felt their warmth-not for her, but for Ian. He clearly had family members who would help him make thoroughly detailed ns. At the very least, he wasn¡¯tcking for love.


    As the final minutes of Christmas Eve slipped away, more and more people appeared on the road. The car inched along slowly, letting its passengers clearly see the redmplight illuminate people¡¯s smiling faces, showing a world seemingly dyed in peace and happiness.


    Amber¡¯s vexation started to dissipate.

 Chapter 114. DO YOU LIKE HER?

    The car first drove to Amber¡¯s house. Mr. Charlie tactfully reminded his boss, probably having received an order from Ian¡¯s grandfather, by saying, ¡°It¡¯s a bitte.¡±


    Ian looked at the time.


    Amber asked, ¡°Are youte?¡±


    ¡°Almost.¡±


    Amber turned to say to Mr. Charlie, ¡°Then let¡¯s stop at the roadside. I can walk home myself.¡±


    ¡°How could we do that to you? It wouldn¡¯t be safe for you to walk back on your own sote.¡± Mr. Charlie then looked at Ian. ¡°Do you want to send Dr. Camille upstairs? There¡¯s still some time, so we can still make it.¡±


    At this time, who cared about whether or not they would get back to the hospital on time? The most important thing was to send the girl home safely, and while the night was still bright and their emotions running wild, do some ¡®wonderful¡¯ things!


    As a fellow man, Mr. Charlie cheered Ian on in his head.


    But all Mr. Axton did was raise his head and look at his driver, frowning.


    He clearly didn¡¯t like anyone meddling in his affairs, so Mr. Charlie quickly adjusted to an honest and earnest expression as he drove the car single-mindedly.


    The car went directly to Amber¡¯s apartment. When they arrived, Ian asked Amber, ¡°Do you feel safe?¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    Ian nodded in satisfaction, and Amber got out of the car with her bag. Mr. Charlie could only sit in the driver¡¯s seat and watch her walk up the building alone.


    Actually, Ian wasn¡¯t as indifferent as he appeared to be; he was tightly clutching the apple that Amber had given him. Of the many gifts that she had bought him, there were many apples like the one he was holding, but the one in his hand was the only splotchy one.


    He gently stroked the apple in his hand, not even letting go even when he reentered his ward. After Ian¡¯s grandfather had helped his grandson out on their ¡®date,¡¯ he had naturallye over to the hospital to see the oue. But when he and his wife excitedly ran into the ward, they saw that their grandson, whom they had expected to be flirting cutely with Amber, was instead sitting dazedly on the sofa by the bed, his hand clutching a silly little red apple.N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    Ian¡¯s grandfather immediately shouted, ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    Ian was startled, and he raised his head to look at them.


    His grandparents looked each other in the eye before they faced their grandson¡¯s cold and aloof gaze together, saying in sync, ¡°Ian, why are you still here?¡±


    Ian perfunctorily asked, ¡°Where should I be, then?¡±


    His tone, which was as cold as the winter wind, immediately deted his two grandparents¡¯ eagerness.


    They sat down on one side of the sofa and looked at each other with wooden expressions. But then, Ian¡¯s grandmother finally remembered what Amber had told her don¡¯t think that his heart is cold just because of his expression. Don¡¯t worry about upsetting him, don¡¯t be afraid of his aloofness, and definitely don¡¯t do as he wishes.


    Instead, it¡¯s best to treat him like a normal family member: tell him if you¡¯re happy, and tell him if you¡¯re unhappy. With this in mind, she gathered her courage and asked Ian, ¡°Ian, did you like the fireworks that we released?¡±


    Ian fidgeted with the apple in his hand. ¡°I didn¡¯t look at it.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Then you didn¡¯t do what we told you to do either, right?¡±


    Ian¡¯s expression became even more chilly, and a sensation of rejection emanated from his body. ¡°She didn¡¯t let me.¡±


    ¡®You didn¡¯t do it just because she didn¡¯t let you? My goodness, I didn¡¯t think that our Ian was such an obedient boy. How unexpected!¡¯


    Ian¡¯s grandmother retreated, defeated by the cold atmosphere surrounding him. She quickly looked at her husband, her eyes saying, ¡®Your turn!¡¯


    His grandfather hurriedly tried to pick up the conversation by putting on a fierce expression and asking, ¡°What¡¯re you going to do with that apple? Is there anything nice about it?¡±


    Ian¡¯s tone was still apathetic. ¡°Nothing much.¡±


    His grandmother anxiously butted in. ¡°Then stop looking at it.¡± When she confirmed that he wasn¡¯t angry, she felt like she could proceed. ¡°Dr. Camille ¡­ How do you feel about her?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s ugly.¡±


    Ian¡¯s grandmother almost spat out blood.


    ¡°She¡¯s ugly?!¡± She seriously felt that her grandson¡¯s sense of beauty had to be reworked. ¡°She¡¯s actually very pretty. Just look at her facial features and temperament-she¡¯d be considered beautiful anywhere in the world.¡±


    ¡°She has a single dimple.¡±


    ¡®My goodness, she had forgotten about this fellow¡¯s severe dislike for asymmetry!¡¯


    Neither of Ian¡¯s grandparents knew what to say in response, until his grandfather finally ventured to say, ¡°You¡¯ll get used to it if you look at it enough. A single dimple isn¡¯t all that important.¡±


    He had made thatment off-handedly, but Ian had still heard it, and he nodded in agreement. ¡°It isn¡¯t that important.¡±


    He had finally had enough of ying with the apple in his hand, so he put it down and went to wash his hands. After he returned, he saw that his grandparents were still there, so he asked, ¡°Is something the matter?¡±


    ¡®¡­ Does trying to help you get a girlfriend count?¡¯


    His grandfather stared at him anxiously. ¡°You said that it was fine if Dr. Camille was a bit ugly. Does that mean that you don¡¯t dislike her?¡±


    Ian looked at him strangely as he responded, ¡°Why would I dislike her?¡±


    ¡®¡­ Aren¡¯t you an extremely picky person? You shun anything that¡¯s asymmetric!!¡¯ His grandfather swallowed his saliva before carefully asking, ¡°Then do you like her?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by ¡®like?''¡±


    As they looked at their grandson¡¯s serious expression, his grandparents¡¯ hearts ached. No wonder he still didn¡¯t have a girlfriend even at such an age! Not knowing what liking someone was, how pitiful!


    His grandmother resolutely forged ahead and tried to teach her grandson this concept. ¡°Liking someone means that you always think about her, that all you can think about is her. When you see her, you be nervous, you blush, your heart beats faster, you ¡­.¡±


    When she ran out of words, Ian¡¯s grandmother waved her hands to clear her mind before concluding, ¡°Anyway, if you like her, then you¡¯ll feel like she¡¯s a wholly unique person, separate from everyone else. Do you feel that way about Dr. Camille?¡±


    Ian¡¯s grandparents stared at him together, both holding their breath.


    But Ian just stood there, youthful and handsome as ever. After pondering his grandmother¡¯s eloquent speech for a long while, he finally said, ¡°I don¡¯t know about the rest, but I want to have sex with her. Does that count?¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    This was a devastating bombshell, causing even Ian¡¯s grandparents to stare at him open mouthed. ¡®My goodness, if my grandson was this bold and unconstrained, then he¡¯d scare away any potential granddaughter-inws!¡¯

 Chapter 115. AM I THE ONE WHOM YOU LIKE?

    When Amber returned home, it was still early in the night. Without any pressing concerns, she decided to do some yoga.


    Practicing yoga could help people rx and calm down.


    After she finished her session and her heart had returned to its normal pace, she picked up her phone and started scrolling through. Her feed was inundated with photos of the impromptu fireworks show and fiery from promation that night.


    They were taken from a myriad of different angles, capturing the scene from various viewpoints. But their captions were all essentially the same: at the end of XX year, I saw a nouveau riche¡¯s expression of love!


    She even received a few direct messages along the lines of, ¡®Hehehe, your name also Camille, and you¡¯re a doctor. Are you the recipient of this message?¡¯


    ck lines marred Amber¡¯s forehead as she rubbed her temples. Out of frustration, she bluntly discarded her phone and ignored it for the rest of the night. Gossip was a very strange phenomena; a good piece of gossip could gain poprity quickly, but if there weren¡¯t any follow-ups, then it would die down just as fast.


    She prepared to bathe and sleep, pretending that none of this had happened. But just as sheid out clean clothes to change into, the doorbell rang. Through the front door¡¯s camera screen, Calvin¡¯s face was looking steadily at her.


    Amber hesitated for a moment before opening the door.


    When Calvin entered he immediately noticed that Amber was in her pajamas with a light smile on her lips, a warm gaze, and slightly damp hair.


    ¡°You just came back?¡± This was the first thing he said.


    Amber wasn¡¯t surprised; tonight¡¯s incident had even ended up on the local news, so it would be more strange if Calvin hadn¡¯t heard about it.


    She didn¡¯t answer his question. ¡°Are you done with your tasks?¡±


    In the afternoon, Calvin¡¯s mother and Melody had personallye to find her, but he hadn¡¯t had the time to do so. Now, after hearing about this incident, he hade over sote at night. Even if Amber had no intentions of interrogating him, asking him such a question at this time nheless made it feel like an interrogation.


    Calvin slightly stilled for a moment, a sense of gloom flickering through his eyes. ¡°You want to give up.¡±


    His tone was certain.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Calvin seemed to lose all energy, his figure deting against the doorframe. He looked at her despondently, almost pleading, ¡°If it¡¯s because of Melody or my mother, then I can exin.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    She responded straightforwardly, but Calvin found that her responses only made his mouth dry up even quicker.


    By now, Amber had moved to the side of the door. ¡°Why don¡¯t youe in first?¡± She was still warm and thoughtful, but her warmth and thoughtfulnesscked their usual intimacy.


    Calvin followed her inside. Her room was as clean as always with a book and a vase of flowers tastefully sitting on the coffee table. The flowers were thin and elegant, while also silent and independent, as if they had some of Amber¡¯s unique charm.


    Amber poured him a ss of water and sat down in front of him.


    After a moment of silence, Calvin started talking. ¡°Melody¡¯s my colleague, and the only reason why I took care of her was because you told me that she was depressed and that her thoughts would easily tend towards the extreme.


    Thus, I was more patient with her than others, as I thought that doing so would help you. I never thought that my actions would give her the impression that I treated her differently from others, and that she would end up thinking something I never expected.¡±


    Amber silently listened to him talk. Honestly, his avoiding the main points and focusing too much on the trivial ones made her slightly disappointed. ¡°Before she set you up, did she really not disy any suggestive actions toward you? And, Calvin, do you feel like you¡¯re truly happy when you¡¯re with me?¡±


    Calvin quickly replied, ¡°Of course I¡¯m happy. When I found out that you liked me back, Amber, you don¡¯t know how happy I was!¡±


    Amber smiled bitterly. ¡°You¡¯re talking about when you found out. Then what about afterwards?¡±


    Calvin was in a daze. ¡°Was there an afterwards?¡±


    ¡®Right, was there?¡¯ After they had confessed their mutual feelings and started their rtionships, they had barely even had a chance to have a normal date. The closest that they ever got was probably them visiting Elly together; only then had nothing been able to disturb them.


    Amber was mute for a moment before she apologized. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Even though she was a professional psychiatrist with a major in psychology, even though she had always had an academic answer, she was still learning to apply that knowledge in her personal life, including her love life.


    ¡°I think that I overreacted.¡± She couldn¡¯t help but admit her own faults. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have decided to start this romance so carelessly. Perhaps we should spend some more time together to understand each other better.¡±


    This was why she always felt that love was just a beautiful illusion; it made people lose their logic and rationality, and it easily created unrealistic expectations in people.N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    Amber thought that she had been perfectly honest in this rtionship, but Calvin couldn¡¯t ept her honesty. He knew that when Amber admitted her carelessness and impetuousness, it also implied that she regretted their rtionship, and her regret meant that she had already decided to cut him off.


    Almost fric, he shouted, ¡°No, it¡¯s not like that! I¡¯m not unhappy! I¡¯ve been happy all this time!¡±


    When Amber saw him act like this, she couldn¡¯t help but sigh. ¡°Then why were you set up when you went out drinking with your colleagues? Calvin, even though we¡¯ve only confessed our feelings for each other recently, we¡¯ve already known each other for ten years. In the past, I¡¯ve never had a rtionship because no one was able to move my heart-that was, until I encountered you again.


    I thought that, maybe for these past ten years, the person I was waiting for was you. I thought that you would feel the same way as me, but you were set up by someone else while we were still in a romantic rtionship.


    That makes me think that you might not truly love me, or at least, not love me as much as you thought you did. How else could the Calvin that I know be so easily set up by someone else?¡±

 Chapter 116. BREAK UP?

    Upon hearing her emotional confession, Calvin¡¯s heart trembled. Amber¡¯s words were too much for him to bear, each word piercing and terrible, forcefully triggering memories of that night when he had gone drinking with his colleagues. Melody had invited him to leave with her; they were both tipsy and so had chosen not to drive back. Instead, they slowly meandered through the streets.


    After a long round of drinking, he had been feeling gloomy, and in that state of mind, he had wanted to unburden the heavy thoughts weighing on him. As he talked with Melody, the conversation had actually turned to Amber about her experiences with Calvin in the past. And Melody, despite the fact that she was talking about another person with Calvin, had actually smiled brightly.


    Her smile had thrust Calvin into the past, conjuring an image of when he had been by Amber¡¯s side-she had a savory scone in her hands and was smiling as she asked, ¡°Calvin, will youe home with me? I¡¯ll give you this, alright?¡±


    When he had been abroad for all those years, whenever he felt lonely or upset, he would think of this scene. And then without fail, he would always wake up in a mncholic mood-he had been by her side for so long, but he had never found the appropriate moment to tell her that he loved her, to kiss her.


    Their childhood nights together were lovely, but there always remained some intangible distance between them; they were neither too close nor too far, but just close enough for him to watch her.Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    It had been right before dawn, when the streets were very, very quiet, so quiet that it seemed as if they were in a dream. Unable to restrain his emotions, he had stretched out his hands and pulled her into his embrace. But when the dream ended, he had realized that the person he was embracing wasn¡¯t Amber, but rather someone entirely different.


    He didn¡¯t know how to process the confusion that he was feeling, so he followed his instinct and hurriedly ran away to find the actual woman of his dreams. Once he did, he¡¯d hugged and kissed her anxiously, wanting to convince himself through his actions that he had only hugged the wrong person because of his drunken stupor.


    At that time, Amber¡¯s cool headedness had made him calm down, but he had also felt an exceedingly strange feeling from her: a little bit of disappointment, but also relief from a burden.


    And when he listened to Amber reveal all her thoughts, Calvin found that he actually couldn¡¯t refute her words. Perhaps she was right, perhaps the person who he had loved might have just been a childhood fantasy of his, the product of her offering a small kindness in a time of hardship.


    He loved her, not the present her, but the youthful her, the young girl who only cared about him. And she was no longer her, her heart now filled with too many people and far too many things.


    Calvin looked at Amber. She appeared to be calm, impassively analyzing everything with neither sadness nor disappointment.


    He couldn¡¯t help himself from asking, ¡°Then, what about you? Did you really love me?¡±


    Amber didn¡¯t respond.


    ¡°You never liked me either, right?¡± He suddenly felt that this realization might be harder to bear than the fact that the Amber he truly loved was just his childhood memory. ¡°When you said all those things, were you lying to me? About how you were only his shield. But actually, I¡¯m your shield, aren¡¯t I? You love him, but the difference in your social standings made you hesitant of epting him. So, you used me-¡±


    ¡°Calvin!¡± Amber had to stop him there. She looked him squarely in the eye. ¡°We¡¯ve known each other for so many years. Don¡¯t you know what kind of person I am?¡±


    ¡°Then why can¡¯t you give me another chance?¡± He buried his face in his hands. ¡°Why must you analyze everything so coldly and logically? Amber, we never even had a good start.¡±


    Even before their rtionship could properly start, a third party had already been thrown between them.


    Calvin knew this, and the only reason Amber hadn¡¯t mentioned it was because she wanted to preserve both their dignities. In the end, they were the ones who knew each other the best, so all he was hoping for was another chance from her. But rather than wait for a reply, Calvin had already gotten up and was preparing to leave.


    Amber didn¡¯t send him out.


    After he left, she remained sitting there, frozen in the same posture for an indeterminable amount of time. Only when her sweat had evaporated and her body gone chilly did she bathe and sleep.


    ***


    The next morning, Amber woke up and went to work as usual, running into Dr. Susan at the hospital gates. She had on minimal makeup and was wearing a tan overcoat that fluttered in the breeze with her steps. Despite still being somewhat thin, she looked full of vitality.


    Clearly, she had already moved on from her divorce.


    Upon seeing Amber, Susan said, ¡°You don¡¯t look too good.¡±


    Amber rubbed her face tiredly as she replied, ¡°I didn¡¯t sleep wellst night.¡±


    ¡°Breakup?¡±


    Amber choked out of surprise.


    Susan smiled and patted her shoulder. ¡°In return forst time, I¡¯ll apany you for a night.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, I might take you up on that.¡±


    ***


    After she stepped into the elevator, Amber carefully inspected her reflection on the elevator walls. Besides her dark eyebags, she couldn¡¯t identify any trace that she had gone through a breakup.


    But it was true that she wasn¡¯t feeling too good.


    As Amber made her usual rounds, when she got to Elly, she noticed that Elly was speaking far less than usual. Perplexed, Amber turned off the recording device and sat there, looking at her dazedly. Then, Elly raised her head to look at her.


    Amber btedly realized that something had changed.


    That was the first time that Elly had ever looked someone in the eye after her illness. Her gaze carried a very careful doubt within it, Amber maintained her posture without moving, not shifting her gaze or posture even a little.


    It felt as if the air around them had congealed. Only after a while did Amber finally hear a somewhat low and hoarse voice pierce the silence. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to talk?¡±

 Chapter 117. A PROGRESS

    ¡°What do you want me to talk about?¡± Amber lightly replied.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    Elly thought for a moment before replying in an equally light tone. ¡°The little rabbit.¡±


    The little rabbit was the protagonist of all of Amber¡¯s stories. No matter which story she told, there would always be a little rabbit in it. After hearing Elly¡¯s request, Amber finally released a pent up breath, her persistence had finally paid off! Elly had gotten used to her voice, herpany, and the little rabbit in her stories.


    So, Amber told her a story, a brand new story. ¡°There was once a little rabbit, a very cute rabbit. She had snowy white fur and big beautiful eyes. Everyone who saw her immediately fell in love with her. She rarely went out because her grandmother told her that obedient children didn¡¯t carelessly go outside as there were bad people in the streets.


    So, the little rabbit never left her home. But as she grew up, her desire to see the outside world also grew; she wanted to make friends. And one day, she finally couldn¡¯t resist the temptation anymore.¡±


    When Amber reached this point in the story, she stopped. Elly was hugging herself tightly with both hands while her small body was curled up in a corner. It seemed like she was trying very hard to prevent something.


    Afraid that Elly wouldn¡¯t be able to ept the story, Amber revised the ending. ¡°But the little rabbit was too afraid. She only stepped out a little before running back in. She breathed in the outside air through a slightly ajar door and told herself that she had already gone very far, and that she could see the horizons ahead.¡± After finishing, Amber asked Elly, ¡°Do you think that the little rabbit went far enough?¡±


    Elly didn¡¯t answer, only retreating further into her nkets, just like that little rabbit who had retreated back into her home.


    But Amber knew that Elly had already cracked open the door, and that perhaps not long after, she would take her first step outside.


    ***


    Amber was very happy with Elly¡¯s progress, and she called Calvin as soon as she left her ward. Only when the phone started ringing did she remember that they had broken upst night. But since the call had already connected, Amber didn¡¯t hang up.


    Calvin picked up very quickly. The eagerness and indistinct excitement in his voice was so palpable that it made Amber feel a little awkward, but she forged on and asked, ¡°Are you free now? I have something to tell you.¡±


    ¡°Go for it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s about Elly ¡­ she just responded to me.¡± Amber tried to calmly and professionally describe Elly¡¯s response. When she was done, she concluded by saying, ¡°If her condition continues to improve, then she¡¯ll officially be in the recovery phase. At this point, if you have time, then please visit her more often.¡±


    Calvin had listened attentively throughout her report. Only when she was finished did he bitterly say, ¡°Did you know? I thought just now that ¡­.¡± What he thought, he didn¡¯t say. Instead, he mockinglyughed at himself in a low tone. ¡°Evidently it was wrong for me to have hoped for something else. If I let go of Elly and stopped caring about her, then would you be disappointed in me?¡±


    Amber seriously responded, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be disappointed because she isn¡¯t your responsibility.¡±


    ¡°And your personal opinion?¡±


    Amber remained silent, taking a while before saying, ¡°I think that you can take on this responsibility.¡±


    As for Calvin¡¯s mother, even ignoring her attitude, her ideology alone would be problematic. In any case, Amber didn¡¯t think that it would be good for her to take care of Elly.


    Calvin smiled wryly as he said, ¡°Alright. If this is yourst request to me, then I¡¯ll definitely handle it with care.¡±


    Then he hung up.


    It was this conversation that triggered Amber¡¯s pain. A faint and subtle pain dwelled deep in her heart, and this conversation was like a small dagger that had pricked her heart. From that small hole, pain was flowing out with each heartbeat, infusing itself into her every breath.


    She took a deep breath.


    At least she was so preupied at work that she could ignore it. She didn¡¯t have any time to register her emotional pain before she was called away for a pre-surgery consultation. Afterwards, it was time for Ian¡¯s daily treatment.


    ***


    The ward he was staying in was the best in Presbiterian. It was quiet andfortable, and felt less like staying in a hospital room and more like staying at a very nicely furnished rehabilitation resort.


    The room was a suite, with a living room outside and the ward inside. When Amber entered the living room, she saw the nurse that the Axton family had hired sitting there.


    Meanwhile, she could also hear a voice from inside the ward that was clearly Billy¡¯s. In an agitated tone, he wasining about something. ¡°¡­ it¡¯s actually your Dr. Camille? Damn, why didn¡¯t you tell me anything?¡±


    Amber was somewhat curious, as she was not entirely sure what they were talking about that would involve her. She wanted to listen in some more, but the nurse spotted her and had already stood up to greet her. ¡°Dr. Camille.¡±


    Within the ward, Billy seemed to have suffered a big fright, as he suddenly started coughing violently.


    Amber quickly pushed open the door. Luckily, Billy wasn¡¯t too close to Ian, and he was also wearing a face mask.


    It seemed that Billy was as skilled at pushing the me onto others as ever. Even before he finished coughing, he had started criticizing Amber. ¡°Were you eavesdropping on our conversation?¡±


    Amber really wanted to dismiss him with a supercilious look, but after deciding that she probably couldn¡¯t win in an argument against him, all she did was gave him a serious reminder. ¡°The patient needs to rest, so I highly rmend you avoid coughing or sneezing in front of him at this stage.¡±


    Billy wanted to talk back, but Ian warned him with a stern nce. Stymied, he could only stuff his words down and pretend that he hadn¡¯t been about to say anything.


    After he stopped coughing, he put on a smile as he told Amber, ¡°Dr. Camille, you sound just like an outsider right now. In fact, it makes my teeth hurt even just watching you. I really miss the you who would pay ¡®prostitution fees¡¯ to Boss Axton.¡±


    Amber was stunned by Billy¡¯s shamelessness.

 Chapter 118. A PLATONIC RELATIONSHIP

    Her scalp prickled, and she distanced herself frostily. ¡°Mr. Billy, you did pretty well just now by consciously distancing yourself from the patient when you started coughing.¡±


    Billyughed out loud, and even Ian¡¯s eyes crinkled out of amusement.


    Amber ignored them both and instead focused on performing her job. She walked over to check Ian¡¯s daily medication, and Billy followed behind, asking, ¡°So you can prescribe medicine for infections?¡±


    ¡°Not really.¡± Having finished reading though the drug records, she put them down as she continued, ¡°But I can get a sense of how the illness is progressing from the change in drug dosage and administration.¡±


    ¡°Then ¡­ has Ian¡¯s illness gotten any better?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°What a decisive response, Dr. Camille. Can I take this to be a sign that you want to keep Ian in the hospital so you can see him every day?¡±


    One of Billy¡¯s unique talents was to make Amber want to throw something at him every time he opened his mouth. How on earth had hee up with such a ludicrous conclusion?


    She looked at Ian with an amused expression. ¡°You really have unusual standards for your friends.¡±


    Ian was sitting by the bed with aptop in front of him. But when Amber had entered the room, he had stopped looking at theptop.


    Right now, he was looking straight at her, and his gaze deepened even further after hearing her words. He nonchntly replied, ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡®You too.¡¯


    Amber could read these two words in his gaze.


    A small smile unconsciously crept into her face. When Billy noticed the two of them making eyes at each other, he grabbed at his own and exaggeratedlyined, ¡°My eyes are going blind just from watching you two! Alright, I¡¯m going to leave. You two have fun doing whatever you¡¯re doing.¡±


    And with that, he went out swiftly.


    Luckily for the two people remaining in the room, they weren¡¯t regr people who would feel awkward from what Billy had said.


    Instead, Amber continued that train of thought and asked Ian, ¡°Have you ever thought about what your girlfriend or wife would be like?¡±


    When she didn¡¯t get a response, sheughed a little and said, ¡°Hmm, I can guess a part of your thoughts. From the nature of your friends, I think that you most likely prefer girls who are lively and open-minded, right?¡±


    Billy, Ansell, and Simon: Ian considered all three of them to be his friends, but Ian was clearly closer to Billy than the other two. From a psychological perspective, this was most likely because they hadplementary natures: people who were introverted and more serious preferred to spend time with easygoing and simple people.


    Amber wasn¡¯t nning on conducting any sort of therapy. Rather, she only wanted to find a topic to talk about that could further her understanding of him. Earlier, whenever she brought up kinship and friendship before, Ian had been uninterested without exception.


    But it seemed like she had finally found a good topic this time because Ian¡¯s gaze sharpened, as if he were seriously considering this question. After quite a while, he asked in response, ¡°Are you lively and open-minded?¡±


    Amber thought for a moment before replying, ¡°No, not really.¡±


    ¡°Then no, I don¡¯t.¡±


    And then he gazed at her.


    Amber briefly thought about the subtext of his response for a moment, and then stilled. ¡°Are you saying that you like girls like me?¡±


    Ian didn¡¯t say anything, but Amber didn¡¯t change topics. ¡°That really surprises me. I still remember that when we first met, the first thing that you told me was that I was really ugly.¡±


    ¡°I have a peculiar sense of beauty.¡±


    This was him using her words against her, and Amber was speechless at his brazenness. ¡°If you always chat like this, then you¡¯ll kill off any conversation you ever have.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t like my responses?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that anyone would, no.¡±Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    ¡°Then what should I say? Something like, ¡®I like people like you?''¡±


    ¡°¡­ That works.¡±


    Ian sat upright and ced both of his hands on his knees, giving off a regal aura as he did so. From this position, he looked seriously at Amber and said, ¡°Amber, I like girls like you.¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    Her face heated up, and she was barely able to continue the conversation.


    When Amber finally remembered her capacity and responsibility as a doctor, she mustered up all her will and put on a serious expression. ¡°Can I ask what you feel when you like someone?¡±


    Ian paused, thinking back to what his grandparents had said about how, when he liked someone, he had to be reserved and tactful, or else he would scare them away. At that time, he hadn¡¯t thought much of this advice because he had already spoken unreservedly to Amber a few times before, and she hadn¡¯t been scared away those times.


    The reason why she was unable to ept his feelings was simply because she didn¡¯t like him and because she persevered in maintaining a distance between them; it had nothing to do with directness.


    After this random thought, Ian suddenly felt a bit ufortable. He frowned, before directly saying, ¡°I want to have sex with you.¡± Afraid she would misunderstand, he even added, ¡°Whenever I see you, it makes me want to know what making love feels like.¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    At least he looked cold and aloof. Otherwise, Amber really would have wanted to drag him outside and give him a beating like he were a hoodlum.


    Instead, she scratched her face awkwardly. ¡°That¡¯s just a physiological reaction. I don¡¯t think that it truly counts when you think about a girlfriend or wife because, when you truly love someone, you¡¯ll want to be close to her both physically and mentally. Many types of love have nothing to do with sex or desire, and instead focus on mutual understanding and cooperation.¡±


    Hoo~~ She had finally dragged the topic back to the original one she had started with.


    Ian actually understood her, and remarked in a deep voice, ¡°A tonic rtionship.¡±


    Amber smiled. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°You want a rtionship like this?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    He looked at her, his gaze as deep as ever. After a while, he calmly concluded, ¡°That man can¡¯t give you this.¡±


    ¡®That man¡¯ referred to Calvin, Ian didn¡¯t remember his name.


    Amber smiled bitterly. ¡°Why are you so perceptive?¡±


    ¡°Because your eyes are mncholic.¡±


    ¡®And you seem hurt¡¯. Of course, her eyes were also brimming with tears, but Ian didn¡¯t want to mention these things; why would he point out her grief for other men if he could help it?

 Chapter 119. SCHISM (I)

    ¡°Because your eyes are mncholic.¡±


    ¡®And you seem hurt¡¯. Of course, her eyes were also brimming with tears, but Ian didn¡¯t want to mention these things; why would he point out her grief for other men if he could help it?


    Once Ian took his medicine, Amber¡¯s rounds for the day were done.


    She still hadn¡¯t had a sessful conversation with him. In the end, it had be another dissection of her feelings. If Elly had bundled herself up securely as a safety measure, then Ian¡¯s safety measure was to equip himself with logic.


    As long as he was clear-headed, Amber had never gotten anything out of him, which made her feel like her intellect was of little use.


    Metaphorically speaking, she was a little girl climbing a hill with a shovel. And on this hill was a tough wall in the way, preventing her from climbing up any further. Her only option was to slowly scrape away at it with her shovel. The wall was very thick, and the shovel very small, so her progress was minuscule.


    Amber felt like she should continue talking about this issue with Nancy, and coincidentally, Nancy ended uping to see her at around that time. When the head nurse saw Amber, she asked, ¡°You¡¯re back? Professor Nancy was just here. She has something to tell you, so she wanted you to go to the head¡¯s office to find her when you get back.¡±


    After being informed, Amber turned around and headed to the head¡¯s office.


    But the head wasn¡¯t there, Nancy was the only one in his office. She was wearing reading sses, and she was looking at a copy of a patient¡¯s medical records in her hands. When she noticed Amber walking over, she smiled and said, ¡°Have a seat.¡±


    Amber sat down. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, professor?¡±


    Nancy didn¡¯t answer her, and instead started talking about Elly. ¡°I heard that her condition had a breakthrough?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Upon mentioning Elly, Amber¡¯s feelings instantly improved, and she began describing Elly¡¯s earlier behavior to Nancy in detail, and Nancy listened very seriously. After Amber finished, she smiled at Nancy. Her face was naturally good-natured and kindly, and her smile entuated those aspects of hers.


    But the words that she spoke next chilled Amber¡¯s body to her core.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect her to have a breakthrough at this time. As your professor, this¡¯ll look like I¡¯m trying to snatch away your contribution.¡±


    ¡°Professor?¡± Amber was somewhat shocked.


    Nancy was still smiling. ¡°But what can I do? Elly¡¯s family has already officially started her transfer proceedings. Tomorrow, she¡¯ll be transferred to myboratory.¡±


    Amber¡¯s brain seemed to explode; it took her a significant amount of time for her to process this new development.


    Nancy looked at her, unable to help herself fromughing. ¡°Alright, this reaction of yours makes me feel like I¡¯ve snatched some precious thing of yours. Don¡¯t worry. Even if she is transferred over, she¡¯ll receive the best treatment. Your hard work hasn¡¯t been for naught.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care about that ¡­.¡± Amber finally finished processing the news, and her expression slowly calmed. ¡°Professor, who was the patient¡¯s family member that you mentioned?¡±


    ¡°Her birth mother, Madam Kenric.¡±


    Amber ground her teeth in frustration. ¡°As far as I¡¯m aware, she¡¯s been divorced from Mark Brown for many years now. After they lost contact with each other, she should have long since lost custody of Elly ¡­.¡±


    Nancy looked at her, still half-smiling, as if she knew that Amber was going to say something like that. Then, she took out a piece of paper from her bag and ced it in front of her.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    Amber didn¡¯t look at the contents. The first thing that caught her eye was the signature on the bottom, Mark Brown¡¯s. Only then did she read the neat, calligraphed words above it. ¡°I hope that you can take on the responsibility of being a mother and take good care of her ¡­.¡±


    Nancy looked straight at Amber as she exined, ¡°Madam Kenric came to me two days ago, and I told her what you said. Then yesterday, she handed this paper to me. She knows about the rtionship between us, and she also wanted me to tell you something: back then, she was forced to give up this daughter of hers, and because of this, she feels like the only way she can make up for it is to transfer Elly into the best possible hospital and have her receive even better treatment.¡±


    Then, Nancy waved her hands, motioning for Amber to continue listening to her. ¡°Of course, Presbiterian¡¯s psychiatry department is already considered one of the best in the nation, and since you¡¯re my favorite student, I¡¯ve never doubted your ability. Initially, I truly wasn¡¯t nning on taking her.¡±


    Amber felt like someone had shoved a block of ice into her heart, and that the cold was seeping into her flesh and piercing her bones. ¡°Then why did you agree to take her in, Professor?¡±


    Nancy fell silent, taking some time to gather her thoughts before finally sighing.


    Amber smiled coldly at her reaction. ¡°Let me guess, professor. You¡¯ve always taken care of me, and fundamentally speaking, there¡¯s not much of a difference between me treating her and you treating her, unless ¡­.¡± When Amber reached this point in her thoughts, she couldn¡¯t stop her eyes from reddening, and she took a couple of breaths to gather her wits before continuing. ¡°She gave you an offer you couldn¡¯t refuse.¡±


    And just what could be so irresistible as to tempt Nancy? As a student, Amber was perfectly aware. It was this awareness that made her sad, that made her seethe with rage.


    Nancy remained calm as she looked at Amber. ¡°I invited you to join my researchboratory after you graduated, but you refused. At that time, I already knew that you didn¡¯t support my research that focused on standardizing treatment for clinical depression.


    I didn¡¯t say anything back then after all, everyone has their own aspirations and no one can force someone else to do anything. But Amber, you have to understand, not all doctors are as smart as you. The majority of them aren¡¯t willing to give their all, like you are, to help their patients recover.


    Rather, they prefer to subject their patients to standardized treatment, which means removing all other disruptions at the very beginning and then performing a routine set of targeted tasks specific to the illness ¡­ As such, researching a better standardized procedure for treating clinical depression, the leading mental illness in the modern world, is an aspiration that I don¡¯t think is wrong.¡±


    ¡°I also don¡¯t think that it¡¯s wrong either,¡± Amber replied. ¡°In fact, I approve of such research, but scientific research is filled with cruelty and coldheartedness. I¡¯m not suitable for such an environment, and I respect those who can work in one.


    But, professor, Elly different. Her mind has been damaged far too deeply, and her ability to trust much too impaired. She¡¯s not a suitable test subject.¡±

 Chapter 120. SCHISM (II)

    Nancy stopped Amber there. ¡°As you well know, she¡¯s perfectly suited for that. But I also understand why you¡¯d say that to my face, why you only talked about her symptoms with regards to Cotard¡¯s syndrome, and why you cried like that in front of me.


    Amber, I understand your worry for her being handed over to a for profit corporation like mine. When Elly¡¯s sole guardian lost his ability to take care of her, you were already trying to give me a heads-up, right?¡±


    Amber didn¡¯t respond.


    ¡°Actually, I really wanted to help you, especially after I read through your treatment records. As a doctor, you¡¯re more qualified to treat her than anyone else. But Amber, scientific progress demands that some people be sacrificed.


    What¡¯s more, just because Elly is being transferred to myboratory doesn¡¯t mean that she¡¯ll be sacrificed. Although she is a test subject, she¡¯s also my patient.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not doubting your ability, but I still disapprove of her being a test subject. If you used an incorrect approach with other patients, they may still be salvageable, but not her. Her mentality is already so weak that, if this treatment fails, she might never be able to recover.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re exaggerating too much.¡± Nancy was somewhat angry now. ¡°Didn¡¯t she receive a huge mental shockst time? But she¡¯s alright now, isn¡¯t she? And our goal is, after all, to treat patients; we¡¯ll only help her, not provoke her.¡±


    ¡°But your methods are clearly not suited for her case, professor.¡±


    When Nancy heard these wordse out of Amber¡¯s mouth, her gaze immediately sharpened. She finally shed her identity of Amber¡¯s familiar and amicable mentor and instead donned the guise of the cold-hearted head researcher of herboratory.


    ¡°Do you know what¡¯s suitable for her? You might think that her condition is improving, but I don¡¯t mind telling you this. Before you came here, I was investigating simr illnesses. I don¡¯t think that she¡¯s truly recovering, Amber. Your method might not work either!¡±


    ¡°I believe that it will work.¡±


    ¡°You be-lie-ve?¡± Nancy started tough incredulously. ¡°Science isn¡¯t about intuition. If intuition were useful, then what would be the point of having all these diagnostic devices? Will your belief help her recover? Will your belief help her lead a normal life after she leaves the hospital?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Amber¡¯s response was resolute and decisive.


    Nancyughed disapprovingly.


    Amber looked straight at Nancy and solemnly said, ¡°Professor, will you make a bet with me? If I can cure her, and have her ultimately lead a normal lifestyle, then will you give up on making her one of your test subjects?¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    Nancy smiled, feeling like she had been blindsided by one of her students. ¡°Curing illnesses and treating patients aren¡¯t something to gamble about.¡±


    Upon seeing that Amber was about to continue speaking, Nancy shook her head again, finally calming down. ¡°Furthermore, it wouldn¡¯t matter even if you do convince me. The person you actually need to convince is her guardian.¡±


    Nancy stood up as she prepared to leave. ¡°I believe that you¡¯ll be able to dy the transfer procedure for one or two days, but not any longer than that. I came here today to tell you that I¡¯m not about to reject such an ideal and willing test subject, and that you don¡¯t have much time to do anything about it.¡±


    After she finished speaking, Nancy left. Amber went over to help her up out of habit, but Nancy just smiled. ¡°Leave me be, and go think of a method to convince Madam Kenric instead. I don¡¯t want to lose a student like you quite yet.¡±


    Nancy¡¯s assistant came in then, and with that, she patted Amber¡¯s hand and left.


    Amber stood at the door as she watched them depart. The department head, who normally didn¡¯t treat her very well, suddenly appeared beside her, popping up from who knows-where.


    ¡°Department head.¡±


    The department head made a hmph. ¡°Get back to work.¡± He walked inside with his hands sped behind his back. ¡°Stubborn girl, you cane to me if you need any help. I may not be your professor, but I am still your department head.¡±


    Amber¡¯s eyes blurred as a wave of emotion overcame her. She took a deep breath to calm herself, bowed at the department head, and then ran off.


    ***


    After returning to her office, Amber thought for a little before ultimately deciding to first call Calvin¡¯s mother. The reason why she didn¡¯t call Calvin was because he couldn¡¯t truly be considered Elly¡¯s guardian; while it might be fine to ask him to spend some time to take care of Elly, if something big happened, she couldn¡¯t ask him for any help.


    Luckily, Amber still had Calvin mother¡¯s number. As soon as Amber pressed the call button, the line connected.


    ¡°Amber.¡± Calvin mother¡¯s voice was earily cordial. ¡°I was just at the hospital, but you weren¡¯t there. It¡¯s good that you called me. We¡¯re thinking of transferring our Elly to a different hospital. If it¡¯s convenient for you, could you sign the transfer request?¡±


    ¡°Mrs. Kenric, regarding this issue, can we meet up and discuss it in person? I can meet you at any time you¡¯re free.¡±


    There was silence on the other side.


    Amber waited patiently until she finally heard Calvin¡¯s mother sigh lightly. ¡°Amber, why are you making this so difficult?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve known you for so many years, Mrs. Kenric. Won¡¯t you satisfy even this one small request of mine?¡±


    Calvin¡¯s mother fell silent again, mulling it over before finally saying, ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll send you an address. I¡¯m free this afternoon, so you cane then.¡±


    Not long after, Amber received a text with an address in it from Calvin¡¯s mother. When Amber looked it up, it was a private residence in the best area in the city, and not too far from the hospital.


    The head nurse suddenly knocked on the door. ¡°Time to eat.¡± She already knew that Elly was being transferred, and her gaze toward Amber was filled with sympathy.N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    Amber stood up. ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    As they walked through the hospital corridors, the head nurse tried tofort Amber. ¡°Actually, isn¡¯t it good that she¡¯s switching hospitals? You won¡¯t have to worry over her anymore. We all know how troublesome Elly can be, and you should be happy that she¡¯s being transferred.¡±


    Amber only smiled wryly, and the head nurse covered her eyes. ¡°Alright, alright, you shouldn¡¯t force yourself to smile.¡± She patted Amber back as she repliably said, ¡°If you¡¯re not feeling well, then I can give you a massage to relieve some tension.¡±


    Amber¡¯s heart warmed, and she leaned against the head nurse¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Thank you. I already feel better just by hearing this from you.¡±


    Indeed, even though Amber was a bit angry, she wasn¡¯t all that sad; perhaps it was because she had a team supporting her by her side.

 Chapter 121. FRIGHTENING

    In the afternoon, Amber had to request time off to go see Calvin¡¯s mother. The department head gave her no trouble at all; he simply waved his hand and said, ¡°Go, go.¡±


    He then personally scheduled a doctor to fill in for her.


    Amber was very grateful.


    She took a taxi directly to the address that Calvin¡¯s mother had sent her. Despite the cold winter winters, the streets were still crowded, and Amber¡¯s ride over was gued by traffic jams.


    When she finally arrived, she waited at the doorstop for quite a while before a housekeeper-like figure came over to answer the door. ¡°Are you Ms. Camille?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Only then did the housekeeper open the door and let her in. Calvin¡¯s mother was on the second floor. When Amber walked over, she was trimming flowers by the corridor. The temperature had been unprecedentedly cold thesest few days, and even though they were indoors, she was dressed very warmly with a white wool sweater and a sapphire-blue marten coat with a white fur cor trim. Framed by the dusky rays of the sun, Calvin¡¯s mother looked far younger than her actual age.


    But she was clearly not in a good mood, and her mood was reflected in her pruning; a perfectly good banyan tree had been ruined by her terrible trimming.N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    Amber noticed that upon seeing Calvin mother¡¯s handiwork, the housekeeper by her side snorted lightly with a speck of disdain in her eyes. Then she curtly announced, ¡°She¡¯s here,¡± before leaving right away.


    Calvin¡¯s mother ignored the disdain in the housekeeper, put down the scissors, and then smiled at Amber. ¡°I¡¯ll bring you to see my old man first.¡±


    The old man she was referring to was the owner of this house, as well as Calvin mother¡¯s current husband.


    She had said that he was old, and she hadn¡¯t been exaggerating at all; the man who appeared in front of Amber was old, very old. His head waspletely bald, his body thin and skinny, and his skin covered in liver spots.


    His bedroom had long been converted into a sickroom. In front of the bed were somemon medical apparatuses, and two people who looked like doctors were sitting by his bedside. The master of the house was lying in bed with one hand outside the nkets. There was an IV by the bed, with fluid slowly dripping down from it.


    Upon hearing the noise of two people entering the room, he opened his eyes slightly. Calvin¡¯s mother walked in, leaned by his side, and said, ¡°This is Calvin¡¯s ssmate. She¡¯s here to see you.¡±


    The old man¡¯s dusky gaze meandered over,nding on Amber¡¯s face. After quite a while, he opened his mouth and said, ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll go and talk with her now. Stay well.¡± After Calvin¡¯s mother finished talking to the old man, she considerately helped him arrange his nkets before pulling Amber out of the room.


    Only after they exited the room and were once again breathing the fresh air outside did Amber slowly release a pent up breath.


    ¡°Were you scared?¡± Calvin¡¯s mother asked with a smile.


    Amber didn¡¯t know what to say.


    ¡°Calvin has always thought that this was an embarrassing affair, but I thought that it wasn¡¯t so bad. These past years of being married to him are some of the most peaceful days of my life.¡±


    She brought Amber to a small living room on the side of the house, sat down in front of her, and started chatting. She had neither the gentleness and grief of her early years nor the snobbishness and affectation that Amber had seen in her recently.


    Calvin¡¯s mother was very calm today. ¡°Do you know why I wanted to meet you here? It¡¯s to show you that Calvin different from you, that the burdens he¡¯s been carrying is different from the average person¡¯s. Don¡¯t even try to convince me to let Elly stay in Presbiterian Hospital. I don¡¯t want her to be his burden.¡±


    Amber tartly replied, ¡°She won¡¯t be his burden.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Calvin¡¯s mother looked at her with a cid smile. ¡°Just because you say so? What if she doesn¡¯t improve for the rest of her life? As you¡¯ve said before, her illness can¡¯t be solved through money-she also needs familial care, ceaseless kindness ¡­.¡±


    Calvin¡¯s mother had actually used the word ¡®kindness.¡¯ Amber¡¯s heart stiffened, but she didn¡¯t stop her from speaking and silently listened as Calvin¡¯s mother continued. ¡°Calvin not willing to follow the path that I chose for him. He wants to bear all these burdens alone, and I have no choice but to let him do so.


    However, this shouldn¡¯t be his responsibility, and I don¡¯t want him to be forced to carry this burden. I don¡¯t care about why you want him to care for Elly. Whether it¡¯s because of your duty as a doctor or because of your selfishness as a woman, none of it matters to me.¡±


    Amber nced at Calvin¡¯s mother, her eyes limpid and determined. ¡°Mrs. Kenric, do you think that the reason why I want Calvin to take care of Elly is because I want to woo him?¡±


    Calvin¡¯s mother didn¡¯t reply, but it was clear that she did indeed think so.


    Amber¡¯s face turned red. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that, in Mrs. Kenric¡¯s eyes, that I¡¯m an undignified girl who doesn¡¯t have any self respect. What if I promised to never be romantically involved with him again? Would you-¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Calvin¡¯s mother shook her head, cutting Amber off. ¡°Amber, I don¡¯t want to take any risks. Even though I do want him to choose a wife who can help him achieve his goals rather than choose one out of impulse, as his mother, I do want him to both have a sessful career and marriage.


    He likes you. I don¡¯t want to deny this, and neither can I deny it. However, if he has to see you from time to time while still harboring feelings you, Amber ¡­ then do you think this would be good for him?¡±


    ¡°Also, I don¡¯t understand why you wouldn¡¯t agree to transfer Elly to another hospital. Professor Nancy was your professor and a national authority on psychology. Herboratory is well-funded, and as long as Elly volunteers to be a test subject in herboratory, then even if she can¡¯t recover, she will still receive very good treatment and care. Isn¡¯t this the best oue for everyone involved?¡±


    Amber¡¯s voice was trembling as she replied, ¡°But do you know what she¡¯ll have to face as a test subject? Her mind¡¯s already so fragile. If the methods that they use aren¡¯t suitable ¡­.¡±

 Chapter 122. MEET AGAIN

    ¡°Do you think that you¡¯re more experienced than Professor Nancy? How are you so sure that she won¡¯t receive suitable treatment over there? If your method is indubitably the right one, then why hasn¡¯t she improved even after spending such a long time in the hospital?Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    Amber, we¡¯ve known each other for a while, and I don¡¯t want to hurt you by being too blunt. You¡¯re so young and so talented, and you¡¯ll surely encounter many more men and patients in the future-why spend so much time on this one?¡±


    ¡°So, Mrs. Kenric, you really do think that I want to keep Elly here because of Calvin, don¡¯t you?¡± Amber took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯m still young, and there¡¯ll be many more men and patients in my future. Men, I don¡¯t care too much about. As for patients, while you might not understand my attachment to them, you should understand the disgrace and humiliation I feel from knowing that I can cure Elly but not being able to do so.


    I don¡¯t doubt my professor¡¯s work, and I¡¯m certainly not brash enough to im that I know more than Professor Nancy. However, I¡¯m also a psychiatrist in my own right, and I know what sort of treatment my patients need. That¡¯s enough reason for me.¡±


    After Amber finished speaking her mind, she got up, ready to leave. After taking two steps towards the door, she stopped again, turned around to Calvin¡¯s mother, and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t think this in the past, but I feel like there¡¯s something I have to say to you now. It¡¯s really frightening that anyone can be a parent.¡±


    Amber seldomly spoke harshly towards others, but today, she couldn¡¯t help herself.


    Calvin mother¡¯s extreme way of thinking had led to her abnormal condition; she stubbornly wanted others to follow the ns that she deemed to be the best, but she never respected their wishes.


    When she was young, she had been weak and powerless, unable to protect Calvin and Elly. And now, she was still powerless to protect them.


    ***


    After she left Calvin mother¡¯s ce, Amber contacted the officer who had initially brought Elly to her. ¡°I¡¯d like to see Mark Brown. Is that possible?¡±


    ¡°At this point, normally, only awyer would be permitted to see him. What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Amber then left to find awyer. She had twowyer friends, but coincidentally, neither of them were around. One of them was on good terms with Amber, but he was out of the country on vacation. When he heard her exnation, he couldn¡¯t help but scold her. ¡°Are you crazy? Why do you care so much about others¡¯ affairs!¡±


    And he even posted about it on his feed. ¡°I just met the stupidest doctor of the year!¡±


    But despite his obvious misgivings, he still helped Amber get in contact with a friend of his. ¡°He¡¯s a bigshotwyer who doesn¡¯t take on just any kind of case. See if he¡¯s willing to help you. But I¡¯m warning you: I don¡¯t think that you stand a chance unless you can prove that your professor¡¯sboratory treats its test subjects inhumanely beyond a shadow of a doubt.¡±


    ¡®How on Earth would she be able to prove that?¡¯ And Nancy¡¯s methods of treatment weren¡¯t inhumane; most of them fell within the scope of standard treatment methods used worldwide. It was just that in Amber¡¯s opinion, they were overly simple and too rough for Elly.


    Thewyer that her friend rmended had some time to talk, and, coincidentally, he was even at Presbiterian right now. Amber rushed over and found him standing in the main lobby.


    Surprisingly, she saw a familiar face, he was thewyer that Ian employed, the one who had drafted that ¡°rtionship contract¡± for her and Ian.


    Thewyer wasn¡¯t particrly surprised upon seeing Amber, and he even smiled as he said, ¡°We meet again. I¡¯m just about to go see Director Axton. Do you want to talk on the way there?¡±


    Amber¡¯s current mental state wasn¡¯t appropriate for her to see Ian, she was too fretful. Thewyer didn¡¯t push her to do so either. ¡°Then I¡¯lle find you afterwards.¡±


    And so, Amber waited in her office. Because it was still visiting hours when went back to her office, a patient¡¯s family member immediately came up to her and started talking to her. Without much of a choice, she could only tamp down her emotions and carefully help him analyze the patient¡¯s condition.


    Before she could finish helping him, her phone rang. It was Ian¡¯swyer. Amber thought that he had finished his tasks, but it turned out that he actually wanted her to go to Ian¡¯s ward. ¡°Director Axton also wants to hear about the situation. Are you willing toe?¡±


    Amber sighed, she could only acquiesce.


    After sending the patient¡¯s family member away, the first person Amber saw after stepping out was Calvin. He was wearing a sky blue dress shirt and holding a simrly colored jacket draped over his arm as he gracefully stood by the nurses¡¯ station and chatted with the nearby nurses.


    Maybe it was because he was paying close attention to the area around him, but he turned around at almost the same instant that she stepped out. When he saw Amber, he momentarily stilled before taking big strides toward her.


    Amber recalled Calvin mother¡¯s words, and couldn¡¯t help but smile bitterly at the situation.


    Calvin was already standing in front of her by the time she reacted. ¡°I¡¯m here to see Elly, Amber ¡­ I heard that my mother¡¯s trying to transfer her away. Is that true?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    His forehead scrunched up. ¡°Why?¡± But after looking at Amber¡¯s calm gaze, he realized that he had asked a silly question. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I shouldn¡¯t have asked you that. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll talk to my mom about it. Elly¡¯s doing very well here, and I don¡¯t feel like she needs to be transferred.¡±


    Amber looked at him. The concern in his gaze hadn¡¯t been diminished at all by the souring rtionship between the two of them. She knew that, as long as she asked, he would definitely talk with his mother and use every means at his disposal to stop it from happening.


    But since Calvin¡¯s mother already thought that Amber was using Elly to deepen the feelings between her and Calvin, none of Calvin¡¯s words would work. Also, she didn¡¯t want to intensify the conflict between Calvin and his mother.


    So after briefly thinking about it, Amber said, ¡°Thank you, but you don¡¯t have to say anything to Mrs. Kenric. As Elly¡¯s birth mother, if there¡¯s anything that needs her attention, then I¡¯ll let her know myself.¡±


    Amber was feeling thankful for the slight break she had just now, as she had been able to calm down considerably. At the very least, it had been enough that Calvin hadn¡¯t detected anything unusual.

 Chapter 123. GIVE ME A REASON

    Calvin looked at her with a dazed expression.


    But Amber didn¡¯t look back. Instead, she stretched out her out and pointed at another room. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m still busy right now. If there¡¯s anything else that you need to know, you can go ask dr. An.¡±


    Right after saying this, Amber turned to leave, but Calvin called her back. ¡°Amber ¡­.¡±


    Amber stopped, and quietly turned around to look at him.


    Her gaze was too calm, so calm that it naturallymanded one¡¯s silence. The pressure was so intense that Calvin felt like he couldn¡¯t say anything, as anything he said would be extraneous. So he could onlyugh bitterly and say, ¡°Alright. Sorry for the trouble.¡±


    Amber smiled and left.


    When she entered Ian¡¯s ward, the first thing she saw were Ian¡¯s grandparents sitting outside. The scene was reminiscent of a silent movie, as the two were ying cards without making a single sound. When they saw Amber enter, they became excited and happily whispered to her, ¡°Dr. Camille, you¡¯re here?¡±


    Amber nodded and looked into Ian¡¯s ward. Ian¡¯s grandmother chuckled. ¡°They¡¯re inside.¡± After gathering her cards, she happily shouted inside, ¡°Ian, Dr. Camille¡¯s here.¡±


    After her announcement, thewyer came out and led Amber in. Ian was sitting by the bed, one hand was connected to an IV drip and the other was holding a stack of documents, all while an elite-looking man stood by his side. Clearly, the three of them had been discussing business matters.


    Amber stood by the door, assessing Ian¡¯s mental condition. He seemed to be doing fine-for someone like him, maintaining his normal cold and aloof demeanor meant that he was normal. She asked, ¡°Should I wait outside?¡±


    ¡°No worries, we¡¯re almost done,¡± thewyer said.


    At that moment, the elite-looking man started packing his things up. As he left, thewyer said, ¡°I¡¯ll send him out. Please wait for me, Dr. Camille.¡± Then the two left.


    Now, only Amber remained in the room with Ian. Out of habit, she started checking his medicine before realizing that Ian was still sitting there, his legs were stretched out, his hands folded by his abdomen, and his gaze coolly directed at her.


    ¡°Are you feeling alright today?¡± Amber asked.


    ¡°I thought that your rtionship with Nancy was pretty good.¡±


    This, Amber would never deny. ¡°She¡¯s my professor, and I respect her very much so.¡±


    Ianughed mockingly. ¡°Respect, but also disagreement.¡±


    ¡°She is a respected professor, but I don¡¯t necessarily have to agree with all of her thoughts and viewpoints. Even in the ancient times, conflicts between a teacher and their student was a normal urrence.¡±


    ¡°Like with to and Aristotle?¡±


    She had just discussed tonic love with him, and now he was even bringing up the schism between to and Aristotle, truly, he was a studious patient.Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    Amber sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t darepare myself to the great sages. It¡¯s just like what my professor said. I¡¯m ill suited for scientific research.¡±


    ¡°Ill-suited, but you even want to prevent it from happening?¡±


    Amber was serious. ¡°She¡¯s my patient. She came to my hands, and I¡¯m responsible for her. Even if I know that it might be useless, I still want to work hard and try to help her. I¡¯m not a saint, as I¡¯m just trying my best to maintain a clear conscience. So if it¡¯s convenient, I¡¯d like to request yourwyer to help me.¡±


    Ian didn¡¯t say anything. His eyes drooped slightly as he looked at his folded hands. Over the course of his illness, he had gotten quite a bit thinner. His slim body had even be a bit bony, and his skin even paler. Under the ward¡¯s harsh lighting, his long eyebrows made his severe expression look a little more gentle.


    But when he spoke again, his words were as detached as before. ¡°Then you should also know that Axton is thergest investor in Nancy¡¯s researchboratory. As the current CEO of Axton, why should I help you rather than her?¡±


    He looked straight at her. ¡°Can you give me a reason?¡±


    After Ian asked his question, Amber felt as if a bolt of lightning had struck her out of the blue.


    She had actually forgotten about the rtionship between Axton Group and Nancy, and had even foolishly tried to ask Ian¡¯s people to help her stop her own professor.


    No wonder thewyer had insisted that shee over; she¡¯d thought that Ian had taken a personal interest in the matter all right, he had indeed taken an interest in the matter, but a professional one. As the CEO of Axton Group, of course he¡¯d be interested in the going-ons of one of Axton¡¯s most importantboratories.


    However, she wasn¡¯t prepared at all for this!


    Amber was feeling frantic: her intellect didn¡¯t seem enough to handle a problem asrge as this, and she was quite annoyed that she even had to deal with it in the first ce. Honestly, shouldn¡¯t it be enough for doctors to just focus on treating their patients? Why did she have to be involved in all these bureaucratic affairs?


    But she quickly halted these defeatist thoughts. Amber quickly readjusted her mental state by rubbing her face and letting out a long breath. ¡°My apologies, I forgot about that.¡±


    Amber felt like Ian was about to make a disdainful expression again, and she was exasperated at the thought of it alone. ¡°But it¡¯s alright if you¡¯re not able to. If yourwyer isn¡¯t able to help me, then I¡¯ll find another way on my own.¡±


    As for what Ian had said about giving him a reason, she ignored it.


    But Ian didn¡¯t. ¡°Perhaps the person who introduced Lawyer Shawn to you didn¡¯t make it clear, but if he can¡¯t handle the case, then no one else can.¡±


    Amber stared at him.


    Ian repeated himself seriously. ¡°I can let him help you, but you need to give me a reason to do so?¡±


    If this were a drama, then at this time, Amber¡¯s response might have been something like, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll give myself to you then.¡±


    But this wasn¡¯t a drama, and Amber would never say something like that. She looked at him and ground her teeth as she begrudgingly asked, ¡°What sort of reason do you want?¡±


    ¡°How about bringing down Axton Pharmaceuticals? If Axton Pharmaceuticals falls, then Nancy¡¯sboratory will definitely be affected, and she won¡¯t be able to conduct any further experiments or take in Elly. At least, not in the near future.¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±

 Chapter 124. ANOTHER KISS

    ¡°How about bringing down Axton Pharmaceuticals? If Axton Pharmaceuticals falls, then Nancy¡¯sboratory will definitely be affected, and she won¡¯t be able to conduct any further experiments or take in Elly. At least, not in the near future.¡±


    ¡®¡­ This wasn¡¯t a drama, and Ian definitely wasn¡¯t one of those brain addled tyrannical CEOs who were only interested in pretty women!¡¯


    Amber very much wanted to praise him for his reasoning. ¡°Great idea! But would you help me?¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯d ept it, then yes.¡±


    In that instant, Amber was stupefied.


    Because she had realized that Ian was serious, and when she remembered his personality, she couldn¡¯t help but ask,


    ¡°You¡¯re ¡­ kidding, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Ian smiled nonchntly. ¡°You don¡¯t dare to?¡±


    Amber choked, walked over, and inspected him carefully.


    Ian looked back at her, his gaze as calm as usual. There was neither a ridicule nor jest in his eyes; these were his true intentions.


    He truly wanted to bring down Axton Pharmaceuticals.


    This was really too shocking.


    Amber restrained the shock in her heart. She didn¡¯t make a big fuss, but she felt herself suddenly rx, as if a big boon had fallen into herp for no reason after chatting with him so often thesest few days, a breakthrough had justnded in herp today! She responded cautiously, ¡°Yes, I dare! If Axton Pharmaceuticals is guilty of poor business ethics, like if they rece their products with inferior ones, or if their business constitutes a major threat to society, then I would definitely dare to do it. But, does it?¡±


    Ian smiled. ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t.¡± As he said this, he suddenly leaned in toward her.


    Amber almost jumped back in fright, but she forced herself to not back down. She saw her image reflected in his pupils. That Amber seemed like she was forcing herself to calm down while looking ¡­ very timid.


    Ian¡¯s eyes was utterly devoid of his previous smile. He stretched out his hand and lightly lifted her lower jaw up. ¡°Are you scared? Let me guess, in the eyes of psychiatrists like you, cold-blooded humans don¡¯t have any sense of morality, and they sometimes even hope for the destruction of the world, giving them the potential to do things that would frighten normal humans. You think that I want to bring down Axton Pharmaceuticals because my mental condition is worsening, don¡¯t you?¡±


    This was why they said very intelligent people were frightening; they could see through everything.


    Amber didn¡¯t deny his usations. ¡°I almost had that notion, but after talking to you now, I don¡¯t think that your condition has deteriorated at all.¡±


    ¡°It hasn¡¯t,¡± he said with absolute certainty as he continued gripping on her jaw.


    Amber wanted to free herself from his grasp, but she wasn¡¯t able to do so. She could only give him a reminder. ¡°This is a very impolite gesture, you know.¡±


    He smiled again. ¡°How strange. Why am I so interested in a person as dumb as you?¡±


    Amber was speechless because she realized that she might have just fallen into his trap: his statement about bringing down Axton Pharmaceuticals was just a test for her, wasn¡¯t it? And to think that she had ever believed him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like it when you do this,¡± she said gloomily. ¡°Do you feel like your high intellect makes you amazing when you suddenly test people like that?¡±


    She raised her head and looked at him before realizing that she had no other choice but to advise him. ¡°Sometimes, you should act a bit dumber, so that other people can feel better about themselves.¡±


    After saying this, Amber sincerely felt an impulse to throw down all her responsibilities and walk out. This job used to be her sole passion and love, but the recent setbacks it had thrown at her were nearly unbearable.


    When a doctor admitted defeat in front of a patient, that was also a disgrace.


    But someone like Ian couldn¡¯t be understood throughmon logic. The stopgap measure that she¡¯d implemented to lighten the tension was something that he took seriously. His pupils stared straight into hers for quite a while even as he continued to hold onto her face.


    Themp¡¯s re made Amber¡¯s eyes stream, its harsh intensity almost bringing Amber to tears. However, not only did Ian not release her, he instead lowered his head and kissed her.


    Amber was so taken aback that she couldn¡¯t even react; a teardrop that she had spent great effort to squeeze out coalesced in one eye, reflecting her image like a fool.


    The mood had changed so quickly that she couldn¡¯t keep up at all!


    Mr. Axton¡¯s identity as the quintessential tyrannical CEO had evaporated so quickly that Amber couldn¡¯t even escape from him if she wanted to. After a few trial runs, his skills had improved significantly.


    He first kissed her directly, and then before Amber could react, rapidly extended his other hand underneath her shoulder, lifting her up and pushing her down. In the end, Amber was left pressed up against him in an embrace without any way to resist.Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    Peng!


    As she was forced up, she knocked over the stool she was sitting on. Inparison to the silent room, the resulting noise was loud as an earthquake.


    Amber felt a pinch of pain in her heart, but even as she tried and failed to stop him with her hands, the door behind them opened from the outside.


    ¡°Oh!¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    The two cries came from Ian¡¯s grandfather and grandmother, respectively, before the door quickly closed again.


    Amber could hear Ian¡¯s grandfatherining to his wife. ¡°Why did you go in? Didn¡¯t you see what they were doing?¡±


    His wife whispered back in a rather loud voice. ¡°His hand¡¯s bleeding!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a man. What¡¯s the harm in a little blood? Rather, what he should be scared of is not ever finding a wife!¡±

 Chapter 125. AMBER’S ANGER

    Amber¡¯s body seemed slim, but she practiced yoga whenever she was free, so she wasn¡¯t all that weak. Since Ian was still ill, she actually managed to break free from his grasp.


    She took two steps back and looked at him. Her eyes were so bright that it seemed like sparks of me woulde out of them at any moment; meanwhile, her lips had be red and swollen from his biting, and they looked just like ripe peaches that had been slightly pinched, which gave them an unusual charm of their own.


    Ian¡¯s fingers moved a little, and the IV drip was pulled taut against the back of his hand, sparking a jolt of pain. He regained his senses and found that the needle had been half pulled out. The medicine was now mixing with his red blood, and the resulting blend was slowly dripping down the side of the bed.


    He decided to just rip the whole needle out, throw it to one side, and use his other hand to tightly press against the bleeding one.Original content from N?velDrama.Org.


    When Amber saw this series of actions, she became quite disconcerted, so much so that she eventually called the nurses¡¯ station. ¡°The VIP room¡¯s patient is bleeding from his hand.¡±


    Ian nced at her, put on his shoes, and got off of the bed as Amber looked at him warily. ¡°If you keep messing around ¡­.¡± Before she could finish, he had already left the room without looking back, all the while clutching his hand.


    Amber heard his impatient tone. ¡°The bed¡¯s dirty!¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    The nurses quickly came over. Some changed the bedsheets, others mopped the floor, and some others changed the IV drip. The room was suddenly filled with bustling activity.


    Amber had calmed down by now, and was currently standing to one side. Ian¡¯s grandparents noticed that she was forcing herself to stay calm, and when they thought to their grandson¡¯s ¡°valiant¡± actions, they felt a bit guilty. But they didn¡¯t even mention anything about him to her, instead trying to fawn over her. ¡°Dr. Camille, do you want something to eat?¡±


    Or, ¡°Dr. Camille, are you tired?¡±


    As Ian¡¯s grandmother was asking if she was tired, her husband pulled on her arm.


    Amber pretended to not have heard anything. Given how convoluted it all was, what could she say?


    Upon hearing themotion, Ian¡¯s primary doctor also rushed over. After finding out that Ian¡¯s IV drip had had a problem, he was very displeased.


    ¡°Was he ying around with it?¡± First, he scolded all the bystanders. ¡°What were all of you doing? His hand¡¯s as swollen as a steamed bun. Do you think that his illness is funny?¡±


    And then he scolded Ian. ¡°Mr. Axton, I know you have a bad temper, and honestly, my temper¡¯s worse than yours. However, you shouldn¡¯t think that you can rx just because your condition has improved a lot thesest few days.


    If septicemia were that easy to treat, then you wouldn¡¯t have been sent here in a hurry that night! Your life is your own affair. If you think that it¡¯s funny to y around with it, then fine. Please turn right as you exit, and stop causing trouble for the hospital!¡±


    Besides Ian, everyone else was scolded so much that their faces turned green. The primary doctor grew more and more mad until he finally left in a huff with a cold face right after he finished inspecting Ian.


    Ian¡¯s grandfather quickly chased after him.


    On the other hand, Ian acted as if nothing had happened. His face was still frowning as heined, ¡°The bed¡¯s dirty.¡±


    Nurse A replied, ¡°We¡¯ve already reced the bedsheets, they¡¯re all clean.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s still dirty!¡±


    Nurse B exined, ¡°It¡¯s really not dirty. We¡¯ve already disinfected everything, and the floor¡¯s been mopped clean too.¡±


    Even his grandmother coaxed him, trying to get him to rx, ¡°It¡¯s really not dirty anymore. I just inspected it. It¡¯s really clean.¡±


    Ian still felt that the sheets weren¡¯t clean, so he sat on the sofa as he continued to frown heavily with pursed lips and an expression saying that he wouldn¡¯t tolerate it one bit.


    While they were stuck in a deadlock, Amber stood up. ¡°Do you feel like your blood¡¯s dirty too? Then do you also know that you used to stoop and poop near the dining table in your home? And who knows how many people¡¯s saliva, sweat, germs have touched the road that you walk on daily. And that¡¯s not even mentioning the children and pet feces and urine ¡­.¡±


    Ian¡¯s grandmother anxiously cried out, ¡°Dr. Camille!¡±


    Amber ignored her, continuing to look at Ian and monologue. ¡°Do you think that when you wash yourself after going home that you¡¯re really clean? Do you think that, after you disinfect yourself, everything will be just fine?


    Yes, at least you¡¯ll be clean and free from germs, but so what? You¡¯re a clean freak through and through, but do you think that your unnaturally sensitive skin is actually natural? No, it¡¯s not.


    It¡¯s a result of your overly fastidious habits. Your body¡¯s immune system has lost its capabilities, which is how such a small allergic reaction could lead to such a severe cold and even to septicemia! Do you remember what I told you that time? About how the nature of clean freaks is to like dirty things? It¡¯s not you who likes it.


    It¡¯s every cell in your body, every strand of hair and every nd in your skin! They¡¯re all particrly susceptible to dirtiness and attractive to all sorts of bacteria! Do you understand?!¡±


    She said this with such vigor and conviction that the two nurses listening had been struck dumb. She waved them away. ¡°Leave, let him do what he wants! As the doctor said, this illness is his to treat or not treat. This body is his. As to whether it¡¯s dead or living, why should we care? All he¡¯s doing right now is throwing a tantrum because he knows that there are others who are willing to coddle him!¡±


    ¡°Doctor ¡­ Dr. Camille.¡±


    ¡°Leave!¡±

 Chapter 126. MAKE ME LOVE YOU

    Nurses A and B looked at Ian, who was sitting on the sofa with a face like biting cold, and then at the severe expression of Amber, before wordlessly deciding to leave together.


    The door opened and closed again. Thewyer who was sending someone out had returned. But when he popped his head in and noticed the heated atmosphere, he quickly closed the door again and retreated.


    The sudden silence left the room feeling like a bottle devoid of oxygen, and Ian¡¯s grandmother felt like she was unable to breathe. ¡®My goodness, what sins had she wrought, that she was forced into a situation such as this?¡¯


    ¡°Doc ¡­ Doctor Camille, should I also leave?¡±


    Amber turned towards Ian¡¯s grandmother, her tone calming down. ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. Coincidentally, I have something to say, and it¡¯s better if you listen to it too.¡±


    Ian¡¯s grandmother made an ¡®Oh¡¯ sound before obediently standing to the side of the sofa and looking at Amber anxiously as she clutched the hem of her clothes.


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    She could only look away from her and refocus on Ian instead. His face was still like a mask of cold indifference as he stared at his hands.N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    Amber asked, ¡°Do you want to go back inside and lie down?¡±


    Ian¡¯s face twisted. Despite his refusal to answer, it was clear that he had been truly disgusted by her words.


    But Amber didn¡¯t mind. ¡°Alright, it¡¯s fine if you stay here too.¡± She dragged a stool over and sat down in front of him. ¡°Mr. Axton, there¡¯s something that I¡¯d like to confirm with you.¡±


    ¡°Go on.¡± Ian didn¡¯t say anything, his grandmother had responded for him.


    Amber looked at her.


    Ian¡¯s grandmother tried to exin, slightly embarrassed. ¡°He ¡­ Ah, he doesn¡¯t like to speak very much. It¡¯s fine if you just talk. He¡¯ll listen.¡±


    Amber was silent. If this was how Ian had been brought up as a child, then this was the source of his tendency to only care about his own actions, wasn¡¯t it? In her heart, she sighed before she openly said, ¡°Alright, then I¡¯ll say it. I want to confirm that you like me. Don¡¯t you? No matter what kind of ¡®like¡¯ it is, you feel something towards me, right?¡±


    Ian finally looked at her.


    ¡°Alright, I understand you. But I won¡¯t be in a romantic rtionship with any of my patients because that¡¯d vite my ethics as a doctor.¡±


    Ian suddenly opened his mouth. ¡°As I recall, before I became your patient, we¡¯d already been in bed together.¡±


    ¡°?!!¡±


    Ian¡¯s grandmother, who had been prepared to be a wallflower, was badly startled. Her old eyes suddenly widened as she looked at the two of them with both shock and a desire for gossip.


    Amber, on the other hand, had no words to respond to Ian¡¯s brazen words.


    She once again regretted her rashness that night, that she had rashly left with him, that she had rashly drank the alcohol that another person had given her, and that she ¡­ had been unable to absolve herself from me!


    She took a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m sure that you know better than me what exactly happened that day.¡±


    Amber then abruptly changed topics. ¡°This isn¡¯t my main point. What I want to say is that, given that our doctor-patient rtionship has already been corrupted, that I n on requesting the hospital to assign you another psychiatrist.¡± She waved her hands with a rare conviction, stopping Ian¡¯s grandmother from interjecting.


    ¡°And now, I¡¯m single once again, and I don¡¯t have someone I like anymore. If you¡¯re really sure that you¡¯re interested in me, no matter what kind of interest, then you can try to woo me.


    Ian, I won¡¯t ept a kiss from you as a friend, but I¡¯m very much willing to ept a kiss from a man that I love. If you¡¯re truly interested in me, then do your best to make me love you!


    Again, I believe that any kind of intimacy not founded on love is immoral. You¡¯ve read through so many books about love and romance that I think you know what to do.¡±


    As soon as Amber finished speaking, she pulled the door open and left without giving Ian any time to respond.


    A whole throng of people were crowded outside the door, including the two nurses who had just left, Ian¡¯swyer, and Ian¡¯s grandfather, who had left earlier to chase after his primary doctor.


    The reason why everyone had crowded here was probably to eavesdrop on their conversation. However, none of them had expected Amber to leave right when they had gotten into position.


    Amber looked at them all while maintaining her dominating presence. Finally, she called out Ian¡¯s grandfather by saying, ¡°May I have a few words with you?¡±


    ¡°Oh, sure! Sure!¡±


    Amber went to one side with him.


    He immediately said, ¡°Dr. Camille, what¡¯s the matter? Tell me!¡± He patted his chest, his expression indicating that he would take care of everything, as if he hated the fact that he couldn¡¯t immediately have Ian marry her.


    The corners of Amber¡¯s mouth wiggled in amusement. She paused and said, ¡°First, I¡¯d like to apologize. My emotions today have been a mess, and I irrationally got angry at Mr. Ian Axton just now.¡±


    Ian¡¯s grandfather replied in a somewhat embarrassed manner, ¡°It¡¯s alright. He deserves a scolding, and you were still too kind. He probably doesn¡¯t mind at all.¡±


    Anyways, if he¡¯s not feeling well or anything, please let me know.¡± Afraid that Ian¡¯s grandfather would say another shocking statement, she quickly continued, ¡°May I ask, what¡¯s Mr. Ian¡¯s view on Axton Pharmaceuticals?¡±


    Ian¡¯s grandfather turned pale with fright. ¡°You¡¯re not really going to try to destroy it, are you?¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    ¡®So they were indeed eavesdropping, weren¡¯t they?¡¯


    Looking at her face, Ian¡¯s grandfather rubbed his head awkwardly but then resolutely said, ¡°But if destroying it will help you achieve your goals, then it¡¯s alright with us.¡±


    Amber couldn¡¯t help but massage her forehead. Given Ian grandfather¡¯s personality, it wasn¡¯t surprising that Ian had turned out the way he had.

 Chapter 127. SHE WANTS ME TO WOO HER

    In a somewhat powerless manner, Amber said, ¡°Thank you, but I¡¯m not that desperate yet. There¡¯s no need for such trouble. Mr. Axton¡¯s attitude towards Axton Pharmaceuticals is very important, and it would be very helpful if you could exin it to me.


    Or, if you could help me find someone who understands his viewpoints, whom I can talk to, that would be even better. It¡¯s very possible that this could be a breakthrough point in Mr. Axton¡¯s illness.¡±


    ¡°Ah, is he still ill?¡± Ian¡¯s grandfather sounded disappointed. ¡°I thought that he¡¯d recovered. Look, he already knows how to be in a rtionship now.¡±


    Ian¡¯s grandfather started smiling again toward the end of his sentence.


    Amber looked at him severely. ¡°Grandfather Axton, that¡¯s not romance.¡± Following instructions like a robot waspletely unrted to love, joy, or anger. But in his attitude towards Axton Pharmaceuticals, Amber could feel something hidden beneath the surface.


    Actually, it would have been fine if Ian had repressed his urges and emotions this way for his entire life. As long as he could control himself, he wouldn¡¯t do any harm to society. But on the other hand, given his intelligence and capabilities, if he focused solely on his career, then he could probably achieve miraculous results.


    But clearly, for the Axton family, rather than Ian having an exceptional career, they would much prefer him to marry and have children like a regr person, for him to experience happiness and anger, sorrow and joy. Ian himself likely felt this way as well, or else he wouldn¡¯t have be interested in her.


    Amber thought about a lot, but in reality, only a little bit of time had passed. When she saw Ian¡¯s grandfather forcefully calming himself down to think about her words, she rxed. ¡°There¡¯s something else that I need to do, so I¡¯ll leave first. Due to Mr. Axton¡¯s attitude towards me, I¡¯ll have the department assign another doctor to him.¡±


    Ian¡¯s grandfather, who had been secretly happy that his grandson¡¯s rtionship seemed to have noticeably improved, anxiously asked, ¡°¡­ Would you please reconsider? Ian¡¯s very picky.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. His new doctor will surely be excellent.¡±


    Ian¡¯s grandfather looked at her desperately, as if his teeth were sore.


    This was why he had said that being too direct would scare people away. Why didn¡¯t his grandson listen? And now she¡¯d found an excuse to run!Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    He quickly tried to think of excuses to bring the two closer again. ¡°Then, as for what you need Lawyer Shawn¡¯s help with ¡­.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll think of a method on my own. Please, don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t make things difficult for you.¡±


    In his heart, Ian¡¯s grandfather regretfully thought that he was very willing to be worried and overthinking things, and that he very much wanted things to be made difficult for himself.


    But Amber had already made up her mind, and she submitted her request as soon as she returned to her office. Then, at the end of the day when the other doctors were getting off work, Ian¡¯s family met the new psychiatrist who had reced Amber for a medical consultation, he was the director of some psychiatry department, as well as a famous old psychiatry professor with a face full of wrinkles.


    Although he was gray-haired, his features were very bnced with a square face and big ears. Perhaps Amber was trying to appeal to Ian¡¯s unique sense of beauty as, while this recement might have been a little old, his face was perfectly symmetrical, and even the eyebags and wrinkles by his cheeks on either side of his face were equally sized.


    The first thought that went through Ian¡¯s grandparents mind was that it must have been hard for Amber to find and invite such a renowned professor like him. They were happy because, given how much effort Amber must have spent, she must have been serious about telling Ian to woo her.


    Because of Ian¡¯s willful behavior, he had ended up being saddled with a few more tests and inspections in the afternoon, two of which they¡¯d been told could be skipped upon entering the hospital.


    From this, Ian¡¯s family all guessed that this was actually a covert reminder from the primary doctor who had been angered earlier. ¡®Don¡¯t you have money? Don¡¯t you like messing around? Then mess around a bit more, why don¡¯t you?¡¯


    Ian didn¡¯t care either way, as that was just his personality. Before he went to the hospital, he hated it and would avoid it by any means possible. But once he was there, he would adapt to his situation-as long as everything was as he requested.


    He wasn¡¯t very responsive when Amber was scolding him, nor when Amber had asked him to chase after her. After Amber left, he had simply continued his previous activity: discussing an acquisition contract with Lawyer Shawn. His grandparents were sitting by his side, so anxious for him that they were scratching themselves raw.


    When the new doctor arrived, the first thing he did was make Ian fill out a questionnaire. He looked at the responses and started smiling right away.


    Amber had never made Ian fill out any questionnaires, but he was very familiar with the questions on this one. She had slightly disguised each of them and asked him about them over the course of their regr conversations.


    He quickly answered the questionnaire. After the doctor read through Ian¡¯s answers, he looked curiously at him before he stretched out his hand out and, in a somewhat kind tone, asked, ¡°Shall we shake hands? In the future, I¡¯ll be working with you.¡±


    This doctor even had a nice voice particrly mellow and rich, and imbued with charm.


    Ian stared at the proferred hand, indifferent. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I have mysophobia.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry.¡± The doctor smiled as he retrieved his hand, a fingertip resting on an answer from the questionnaire. ¡°You answered that you didn¡¯t mind on here.¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    It had been an instinctive response; old people were wily, and this man was evidently much more sly than Amber. Ian¡¯s expression was cold, without a single sign of emotion showing on his well proportioned and handsome face. His hands nearly folded on top of his abdomen as he changed the topic. ¡°Are you familiar with Amber?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± the doctor answered tactfully. ¡°Despite her age, Dr. Camille¡¯s a very responsible doctor with considerable skill in what she does.¡±


    ¡°She wants me to woo her.¡± Ian¡¯s expression was cold and his tone insipid when he very calmly threw down this bombshell. ¡°Do you have any advice?¡±

 Chapter 128. THE DEPARTMENT HEAD WAS ANGRY

    Amber was once again sent to her department head¡¯s office.


    When the head nurse came over to fetch Amber, she was apanying Elly. In the end, Amber didn¡¯t mobilize Ian¡¯s high-profilewyer. Instead, she had contacted another one through herwyer friends. After having done everything that she could, she was now calmly waiting for the news.


    After Elly heard another new story, she covered herself in her nkets again, but notpletely this time. There was a small hole from which she was ¡®secretly¡¯ observing Amber.


    Amber smiled upon seeing her behavior. Nancy had once told her that she was very well suited to be a psychiatrist; she was beautiful but not flirtatious, in but not nd, warm and graceful but also bold and daring, and even her voice was melodious and moving.


    Presently, Amber was taking full advantage of her strengths by stooping down, lying by the side of the bed, looking into the little hole that Elly had dug out, and saying, ¡°You know, I was like you when I was little. You were brought up by your paternal grandmother, and I by my maternal one.


    She would often tell me stories, mostly horror stories that were popr in the countryside. I loved listening to them, but afterwards, I would always be very scared.


    Every time I tried to sleep after she told me a story, I would be afraid that a ghost would float in from the windows, or that something would crawl onto my bed from underneath it.


    So, I would always cover myself in my nkets, thinking that the ghosts wouldn¡¯t be able to see me even if they showed up.


    And then when I got a little older, I realized that there were no ghosts in this world, that ghosts only exist in your heart. If you¡¯re afraid, then they¡¯ll appear. But if you ovee your fear, then they¡¯ll vanish as well.¡±


    ¡°Elly ¡­ can I call you this? I know that you can definitely understand what I¡¯m saying, and I hope you will too. I want you to understand that I very much want you to get better. Even though staying in this little room might be safe, it¡¯s too small, and it¡¯s unable to shield you from the wind or rain. The only way to free yourself from the evil ghosts in your heart is to walk out and be a braver and stronger version of yourself.¡±


    When the head nurse walked in, this was the scene that she saw-Dr. Camille, who was intelligent, capable, and sophisticated, was currently lying on her patient¡¯s bed,pletely unconcerned for her own image, and saying something profound to a little lump of nkets. She looked particrly childish and particrly adorable.


    The head nurse was wholly impressed by Amber¡¯s patience. Young doctors tended to be somewhat fickle and impatient, but she couldn¡¯t see any of that in Amber.


    When the head nurse pushed the door open lightly, Amber felt it but didn¡¯t turn around. Instead, she waved her hand at her, dismissing her.


    The head nurse retreated. After a while, Amber came out. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°The department head¡¯s invited you over.¡± When the head nurse saw Amber who seemed like she had a headache, the head nurse couldn¡¯t stop herself fromughing. ¡°It¡¯s the first time that someone¡¯s ever been in your situation, no one else has had the honor of getting called in by the head so often.¡±


    Amber wryly replied, ¡°Thanks for the praise. I¡¯ll keep doing my best.¡±


    The head nurseughed herself to tears.


    Amber went over. The head, who had been surprisingly nice to her the day before, gave her a full scolding today. And this time, he even pointed to her forehead all the while.N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    ¡°You, you, you. Why do you cause so much trouble?! Do you know what you¡¯ve done this time, hmm? Those of us who understand know that it¡¯s a little trick to help treat a patient, but those who don¡¯t will think that you¡¯re trying to climb the social strata by ignoring your professional ethics for money!


    You, you, you ¡­ you have the intelligence and the ability to use any method you please. But why did you have toe up with such a drastic tactic?¡±


    Amber noticed that, while he was scolding her, he was also making meaningful nces at the room inside, and once he finished his tirade, he mouthed, ¡°The patient¡¯s here.¡± Amber was momentarily speechless-if the patient were here, then did that mean that Ian hade over? ¡®Shouldn¡¯t he be getting his shots right now? Did he run here to proim that he was officially going to woo her?¡¯


    Amber very much wanted to scold him again, but at this point, she could only pretend to not know anything about it. So, she clutched her forehead and joked with the head, saying, ¡°You¡¯ve always demeaned me, and I even thought that you didn¡¯t like me-I never expected your evaluation of me to be so high.¡±


    ¡°Hmph! If I actually didn¡¯t like you, then I wouldn¡¯t have recruited you.¡±


    That¡¯s right. When Amber had joined Presbiterian, the department head had been the main recruiter associated with her.


    Amber¡¯s eyes happily curved up; her ignorant and blissful expression really made one so angry to the point that their liver would hurt!


    The head had originally been joking with her too, as this was just a ploy to rify her intentions and redeem the reputation of the hospital-this sort of affair might have been a romantic encounter in any other department, but in the psychiatry department, it was a disaster because their ethics didn¡¯t permit it! Amber, as an excellent student of Nancy, could not have been unaware of this point.


    And so, he really was getting a bit mad as she maintained her uncaring and evasive mindset, and his scolding even became a bit more serious. ¡°Stop changing the topic. You have to settle this matter. ¡®Doctors wooing patients¡¯-you¡¯re lucky that this wasn¡¯t overseas, or it would have been considered harassment, and you could have easily lost your reputation from getting sued.


    Don¡¯t you know this? Even if you¡¯re just trying to treat your patient, you don¡¯t have to use such a stupid method!¡± Perhaps the head felt that he was being too vicious, so he awkwardly softened hisst sentence.


    Amber had naturally already guessed the head¡¯s intentions, but he was unaware of Ian¡¯s condition, and she was worried that their conversation might reveal her true intentions to Ian.


    She blinked before quickly, correcting him. ¡°Who said that I was trying to treat him? Why can¡¯t it be because the two of us fell in love at first sight? After all, Mr. Axton¡¯s handsome, wealthy, young, and intelligent.


    He¡¯s very attractive to all females, and as a female, especially an older, single female, after meeting such an outstanding andpatible single man, isn¡¯t it normal for me to lose my head like that?¡±


    Upon hearing this, the head became so angry that he started trembling and pointing at her. ¡°You ¡­ you ¡­ you ¡­.¡± He was so furious that he picked something up from the table and was about to throw it at her when someone suddenly ran out from the room and grabbed the head¡¯s hands at lightning speed.

 Chapter 129. YOUNG MADAM AXTON

    Upon hearing this, the head became so angry that he started trembling and pointing at her. ¡°You ¡­ you ¡­ you ¡­.¡± He was so furious that he picked something up from the table and was about to throw it at her when someone suddenly ran out from the room and grabbed the head¡¯s hands at lightning speed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t hit her! You can¡¯t hit her! This is my granddaughter-inw! You can¡¯t damage her!¡±


    Amber and the head were both stunned speechless from this turn of events.


    Amber was instantly dazed. Why was Ian¡¯s grandmother the one to rush out; how had ¡®the patient¡¯ turned into ¡®the patient¡¯s rtive¡¯?


    Amber twisted her head around to look inside the room. The door was open, and the room was clearly empty!


    Ian¡¯s grandmother stopped the head, and then turned around to look at Amber, smiling with joy from the bottom of her heart as she pulled on Amber¡¯s sleeve and said familiarly and excitedly, ¡°Dr. Camille, oh no ¡­ Amber, I knew that my grandson would be able to find a wife someday. Look at how good his taste is-oh, wait a moment.¡±


    After she said this, she patted Amber¡¯s hands, rushed inside, and brought out a lunchbox. ¡°Ian said that you were working too hard, so we brought some soup specially made for you. Drink it while it¡¯s warm! He highly regards you, so if you told him what you said just now, he¡¯d surely be so happy!¡±


    Amber disagreed; at the most, Ian might say, ¡°Oh.¡±


    She hugged the lunchbox in front of her chest and wanted to exin, but Ian¡¯s grandmother didn¡¯t give her the chance to do so.


    After his grandmother finished talking to Amber, she immediately followed up with, ¡°I have to go. I won¡¯t keep you from your work any longer.¡±


    And then she turned around to instruct the head. ¡°Our Ian and Amber are fiance and fiancee. There¡¯s no harassment, so don¡¯t scold her anymore!¡± And then she left in an energetic buzz.


    Amber felt like she was about to copse as she looked at the head sullenly. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that Ian was inside?¡±


    After Ian¡¯s grandmother rushed out, the head¡¯s expression had be cold and indifferent. ¡°What difference does it make anymore? Congrattions, you¡¯re about to marry into the Axton family, and soon, you¡¯ll be the most influential person in our hospital, young Madam Axton.¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    The department head had gone crazy from anger!


    He was wondering why on earth Amber would even bother fighting with Nancy over a patient if she was this well connected. Couldn¡¯t she just ask the Axton family to withdraw their investment? Since they were the main sponsor of Nancy¡¯sboratory, it wasn¡¯t like Nancy would fight with them over a mere patient.


    He had really wasted his time worrying about her affairs!


    And to think that he had even called the patient¡¯s family member over to help her quell those rumors. Just how foolish was he?


    Amber also understood that the head was genuinely trying to help her, and she was naturally very touched by his actions. With eyes brimming with tears, she tried to assuage his despondency. ¡°Head, you¡¯re really a good person. With you as a boss, it¡¯s no wonder our psychiatry department is so great! Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll work hard and won¡¯t bring shame to you or Presbiterian!¡±


    Unable to hold his emotions back, the head brusquely waved his hands. ¡°Stop, stop. It¡¯s enough if you don¡¯t cause trouble for me. Just think about what you¡¯ve done in thest two years-¡±


    Amber quietly protested, ¡°But I haven¡¯t done anything wrong.¡± She carried out her duties, behaved ethically, worked hard, and was undoubtedly a model citizen and excellent worker.


    The head red at her.


    Amber blinked. ¡°Then, can we change topics?¡± It actually wasn¡¯t too hard to persuade the head to her side; she just had to tell him the truth. Despite his recent proclivity towards bureaucracy, he was ultimately still a doctor of psychiatry at heart.


    After Amber finished exining her story, he finally understood what was going on. However, he only became even more concerned, and his response was to coldlyugh and say, ¡°With this sort of affair in your history, how many people do you think you can date in your lifetime?¡±


    He was almost starting to feel resentful. ¡°Do you really think that you can avoid the gossip? And even if you¡¯re not afraid of gossip, what if he really starts to like you after he¡¯s cured? What do you n on doing then? I can see that his grandmother very much likes you she can hardly wait for you to sign a marriage certificate with her grandson tomorrow, and I bet she thinks that the best thing would be if a child popped out right away!¡±


    The department head wasn¡¯t the head for nothing, as his eyes were particrly discerning. Ian¡¯s grandmother was as he described. Amber joked, ¡°If so ¡­ then I guess I¡¯ll be Miss Axton.¡±


    The head stared at her, unable to speak for quite a while. Finally, he shouted one word. ¡°Scram!¡±N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    And so Amber scrammed away.


    ***


    During her afternoon break, she visited Ian again. He had finished his shots in the morning, and was currently resting.


    There was no one in this massive ward besides him, His eyes were closed and his body lying in bed, while he had earbuds in, clearly listening to something.


    His resting posture was reminiscent of Elly¡¯s when she had first entered the hospital: straight and still with the hands neatly folded on top of the abdomen. But Elly had preferred to cover herself up from head to toe while Ian¡¯s nket only extended up to his waist. In some sense, his orderliness gave off an adorable feeling to Amber.


    Amber didn¡¯t know whether or not he was asleep and was standing there, hesitating, when his long eyshes fluttered and he slowly opened his eyes.


    It was the first time that Amber had realized how pleasing it could be to watch someone open their eyes. It was like watching a flower slowly bloom. In that tranquil moment, it felt almost as if she could hear the rustle of flowers swaying in the breeze.


    ¡®He was handsome enough to vitemon sense,¡¯ Amber thought as she sighed.


    If a person like this didn¡¯t have any mental issues, then even if he didn¡¯t have power or wealth, girls would still chase after him in wave after wave, wouldn¡¯t they?

 Chapter 130. DID MY HEART RATE QUICKEN?

    Amber walked over, and Ian looked at her.


    ¡°You¡¯ve changed the time of your visits.¡±


    Amber smiled. It was very much like him to notice details that others would overlook.


    ¡°Are you not used to it? Sorry, but I¡¯m not your doctor anymore. I can onlye see you after work.¡±


    He didn¡¯t say anything, though he seemed to silently ept this change.


    Amber asked him, ¡°What are you listening to?¡±


    He handed one earbud to her, and Amber a long speech in English. Amber was about to praise Mr. Axton for being studious and hardworking, and then she heard the contents.


    ¡°¡­ I dreamt of him, his gaze, his uniform, his long legs, his slender fingers, and his mysterious atmosphere ¡­.¡± The syntax was suspiciously evocative of a cheesy romance novel.


    She took the earbud out. ¡°What¡¯s this? A novel?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Its title?¡± She asked somewhat innocently.


    ¡°Fifty Shades of Grey.¡±


    ¡®Oh my god!¡¯ Amber almost choked on her own saliva. She knew this book, as it was a famous foreign erotic romance novel; of course, she hadn¡¯t personally read it, but there was a time when Silvia had been fervently proselytizing it in their group chats.


    She had even run around trying to find a ce to watch the movie upon its release, which was about all Amber knew of it.


    She restrained her shocked expression and calmed herself down, shifting her facial expression to one of curiosity. ¡°How did you end up listening to this kind of book?¡±


    Ian continued speaking in his usual calm tone. ¡°Billy rmended it. He said that it would be suitable for me and you.¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    A tyrannical CEO and a debutante dipping her toes in high society, was it? What in the world was Billy thinking? Amber caressed her forehead as she wearily asked, ¡°And what do you think of it?¡±


    Ian frowned. ¡°It was hard to read.¡±


    ¡°And because it hurt your eyes to read it, you chose to listen to it instead?¡±


    Ian raised his eyebrows, clearly she had guessed correctly. Amber couldn¡¯t help butugh, but after she finished, she pitied him a bit. Ian might not have said it, but he must have been truly lonely in his heart.


    His inability to understand other people¡¯s happiness and anger, or sorrow and joy meant that he had resorted to reading books and studying so that he could still pretend to understand everything, and that he didn¡¯tck those emotions.


    He was neither crazy nor a freak. Sighing in her heart, Amber asked, ¡°If it¡¯s too hard to read, then how does that make it easier to listen to? If it hurts your eyes, then it¡¯ll also hurt your ears. You should just stop listening to it.¡± After saying that, she leaned over to pull his other earbud away.


    When she stretched her hand out, he instinctively tried to block her hand half-heartedly. It was an action born from his subconscious revulsion when others came near him, but he quickly caught himself and put his hand down, pretending that nothing had happened as he craned his head to look at her.N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    Amber smiled, also pretending that nothing had happened as she took his earbud off. This time, she was sessful, but he still moved a little, and her fingertips brushed by his ear.


    That ear immediately turned red!


    Amber blinked once, took a second nce in case she had seen wrongly, and momentarily froze, unable to look at him.


    She was too innocent. Her first thought was that she¡¯d identally hurt him, but Ian¡¯s expression was very calm. His lips curled up slightly and he didn¡¯t give off his usual oppressive feeling, which meant that he had to be in a pretty good mood.


    Amber tried hard to think of a topic to talk about when Ian suddenly said, ¡°My grandmother¡¯s back.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± She turned around, but didn¡¯t see anyone enter, so she asked, ¡°Are you saying that she went to our department and then came back here again?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Are you happy?¡±


    ¡°The usual.¡±


    ¡°Oh. That means that you must not like me that deeply, or that your interest towards me is unrted to your feelings because otherwise, you would¡¯ve been ted to hear her words and subsequently experience excitement, emotion, a quickening in your heart rate ¡­.¡±


    Ian suddenly grabbed her palm and ced it against his chest.


    Amber expressionlessly finished her sentence. ¡°¡­ and other simr reactions.¡±


    Ian looked at her seriously. ¡°Did my heart rate quicken?¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    In the heat of the moment, Amber didn¡¯t know what to say. During her indecision, Ian clutched her hand even tighter and pressed it against his chest again as he repeated, ¡°Is it beating quickly?¡±


    His voice was calm but serious, and in this moment, Amber felt a bizarre gentleness in his demeanor, and even his cold voice seemed warmer than usual.


    But, in reality, his heart wasn¡¯t beating any quicker. It was just that he was wearing one of those thin hospital gowns, so Amber could feel each distinct heartbeat.


    Back when she had been a student, she had once gotten bored and decided to experience traditional Chinese medicine and to learn to feel people¡¯s pulses, so she had taken a year¡¯s worth of sses and practice on the subject.


    She didn¡¯t really learn how to feel pulses that much better, but she did had gotten significantly better at understanding the significance of others¡¯ heart rates in different situations.


    Right now, Ian¡¯s heart was not beating any quicker than usual. In fact, it was actually beating a bit slower. When Amber remembered his unusual body condition, she had a hunch that he wasn¡¯t feeling anything at all.


    His excitement was closer to a guise, but one that could trick even himself.


    Regardless of the truth, she still said, ¡°Yes, a bit faster.¡±


    And then Ian smiled, a truly joyful smile that contained a bit of childish innocence and sincerity. It was just like the dark clouds that Amber had once seen before, the ones that had silently blossomed in the biting cold.


    Joyful, and heart-wrenching.


    Such was the power of handsome people. Amber was dazed just from looking at him.

 Chapter 131. YOU SCARED HER AWAY

    Joyful, and heart-wrenching.


    Such was the power of handsome people. Amber was dazed just from looking at him, until an ¡°Oh!¡± rang out from the door.


    The two both regained their senses at the same time and turned towards the door, but all they saw was someone hurriedly running out.


    It was one of the Axton family¡¯s private attendants.


    Amber calmly pulled her hand away, slightly tilted her head, and looked out the door.


    ¡°You scared her away.¡± She then looked at him. ¡°You should smile more in the future. Smile if you¡¯re happy, you look so wonderful when you¡¯re smiling.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Ian responded with a simple word.


    Still cool and aloof, but it was missing a bit of the tyrannical tone that he usually disyed.


    Yes, she had made at least a little progress; the flower blooming on the high cliff was now willing to look towards people below it.


    Amber felt slightly gratified. But then her phone rang, a call from her department. ¡°The patient in ward 24 is in the process of leaving the hospital. Dr. Camille, are you still in the hospital?¡±


    Amber froze for a moment. The patient in ward 24 was Elly; although she had managed to dy the proceedings for all of yesterday, it had just ended up happening today instead.


    Keeping the phone line open, Amber said, ¡°I¡¯m going to leave, so rest well.¡±


    Ian looked at her. ¡°You¡¯re unhappy.¡±


    ¡°Yes, a bit.¡± She didn¡¯t hide the reason from him. ¡°Elly¡¯s family¡¯s here to transfer her out of the hospital.¡±


    Ian asked, ¡°Do you want me to help?¡±


    ¡°Would you?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Even though she knew that this was the inevitable oue, and even though she had never expected his help toe, his cold and firm rejection still caused her to feel a bit depressed.


    Ian was feeling good, so he even tried to exin why he couldn¡¯t help her. ¡°As an investor, I¡¯m contractually obligated to not interfere with the workings of theboratory. So unless we bring Axton Pharmaceuticals down and I file for bankruptcy ¡­.¡±


    Even mentioning filing for bankruptcy ¡­ Amber sucked in a breath to stabilize her emotions. ¡°It¡¯s not that important, really.¡±


    She was honestly starting to get afraid of what he was saying, and quickly found an excuse to leave. ¡°I really have to go. Rest well.¡±


    Then, Amber hurriedly left, as if ghosts were knocking at her door. When she thought back to Ian¡¯s serious expression, her heart started bleeding again. She was frightened that he would actually bring down Axton Pharmaceuticals, and then she would undoubtedly bembasted by the media.


    ¡®Don¡¯t underestimate the lengths a patient suffering from mental illness is willing to go to, especially if that patient is stubborn and intelligent!¡¯


    Amber returned to her own department. Calvin¡¯s mother was waiting there, and she wasn¡¯t alone. She had brought along a crowd of unfamiliar people, each of them rubbing their palms as if they were preparing to enter battle.


    Calvin¡¯s mother was still dressed as exquisitely as ever, just like a perfect wealthy housewife. That day¡¯s unhappiness seemed to have vanished without a trace, and her smile at Amber remained warm and amiable. However, this amity veiled her true feelings of disaffection and arrogance.


    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry. I must be interrupting your afternoon. But as you know, I was busy all morning, and I only became free just now. Elly¡¯s exit procedures-could I trouble you to help me with them?¡±


    Amber looked at the nurse by her side. The head nurse wasn¡¯t present, and only one of the other nurses on duty was here. When she noticed Amber nce over, that nurse coolly pursed her lips and said, ¡°We already told her, but she said that she knows you, and was insisting that you were present.¡±


    Without any change in her facial expression, Amber pivoted to look at Calvin¡¯s mother. ¡°Please follow me.¡±


    Leaving the unfamiliar people outside, Amber brought Calvin¡¯s mother with her to her office. But instead of proceeding with the procedures as she wanted, Amber instead sat in front of her desk and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but Elly¡¯s exit procedures can¡¯t be processed at this time.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Mywyer¡¯s currently in contact with Elly¡¯s father. Before receiving his personal confirmation, I don¡¯t think that I can continue with this process in good faith.¡± She made a hand gesture, stopping Calvin¡¯s mother from speaking, and continued talking. ¡°It¡¯s because I initially promised him that I would finish treating her before I let her out of the hospital.


    Right now, even though she¡¯s improved greatly, her emotions still aren¡¯t very stable, and she still desperatelycks a sense of security.


    Changing her environment at this stage will not benefit her at all. Out of my consideration for the patient, I don¡¯t rmend that she switch hospitals.¡±


    Calvin¡¯s mother frowned. ¡°Not even if I move her to a better hospital?¡±


    Amber nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    Perhaps not expecting Amber to make this move, Calvin¡¯s mother stared at her for awhile before saying, ¡°Amber, you¡¯re joking, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not. And Elly was sent here byw enforcement. So, before she is given a directive from the corresponding office, no one can move her away. Even if she fully recovers and is able to leave, she has to submit an application before doing so.¡±


    ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you say so beforehand?¡± Calvin¡¯s mother became shrill.N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    ¡®Because I forgot about it.¡¯ Amber thought as she very calmly said, ¡°Because it was a notice that I just received.¡±


    Calvin¡¯s mother¡¯s mouth was left hanging open in shock.


    She felt like Amber was deliberately targeting her and that Amber was obfuscating her own personal interest in the matter, so Calvin¡¯s mother became quite angry. Even as she tried to restrain her anger, she asked, ¡°Amber, can¡¯t you amodate us even a little?¡±


    Amber was quiet as she unyieldingly answered, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Are you really going to go against me just because I won¡¯t let you and Calvin be together? Amber, I honestly thought that you were a better person!¡±


    ¡°Even if I said that this had nothing to do with him, you wouldn¡¯t believe me, so I won¡¯t bother exining.¡±

 Chapter 132. DEBATE

    Calvin¡¯s mother clearly didn¡¯t believe her. ¡°It¡¯s more like you can¡¯t exin it at all, right? Honestly, I¡¯ve seen plenty of girls like you. Regardless of whether or not you have a job, all you can do is try to catch a good man and climb the socialdder that way, not even caring if you can handle it!


    It¡¯s just that I didn¡¯t imagine that you wouldn¡¯t let go even after I talked to you so candidly that day. Hah, if I can¡¯t make it clear to you, then I¡¯m going to find your director and give him a piece of my mind!¡±


    After she said this, Calvin¡¯s mother got up and prepared to leave. At this point, Amber almost thought that Calvin¡¯s mother, whom she¡¯d known in the past, was a fake all along! What did she say just now? That time that she called her over to Calvin stepfather¡¯s house, when she had disyed both her weakness and her aptitude for being endlessly bothersome, was that all to dissuade her from marrying Calvin?


    Amber was honestly quite impressed by Calvin mother¡¯s train of thought. She could deeply feel how her mentalpass had been twisted and distorted by her long years of fighting with her stepchildren over the Wang inheritance. To a person like her, no amount of reason could exin anything.


    ¡°Mrs. Kenric, I hope that you won¡¯t make this messy.¡± When Amber saw that Calvin¡¯s mother was about to head out, Amber quickly spoke out. ¡°Or it will be hard for me to promise that you¡¯ll get what you want.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Calvin¡¯s mother turned around to re at her. ¡°Are you threatening me?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Amber sighed. ¡°I only wanted to advise you to be prudent with this matter. Presbiterian has reporter correspondence connections to the major media outlets. If you make a big fuss, I can¡¯t promise that news of this matter will be suppressed, or how deeply the reporters will investigate.


    Regardless, if you really want Calvin to marry a wife that will be of use to him, like Miss Melody Lee, then I think it¡¯s better if you save him some face.


    Additionally, I¡¯d also like to tell you that I indeed like Calvin very much. However, it¡¯s not enough for me to eschew everything else. With a mother like you, it will be difficult for him to ever have a happy marriage, and I don¡¯t n on taking on such a difficult challenge.¡±


    After Amber finished her speech, she walked over and opened the door for Calvin¡¯s mother. ¡°Please choose wisely.¡±


    And then she saw Calvin standing outside the door, his face stark white, looking at her with a mournful expression.


    Amber was at an utter loss for words.Original content from N?velDrama.Org.


    It hadn¡¯t been that long since she hadst seen Calvin, but he seemed to be much thinner, his face was now wan and sallow, and his overall demeanor exuded exhaustion.


    She felt like she was once again looking at that miserable high school youth who was silent and dyed with a mncholy unbefitting of his age.


    He looked at her for quite a while before he turned towards his mother and hoarsely said, ¡°Ma, I¡¯ll promise you, I¡¯ll promise you anything. Please, can you drop this matter about transferring Elly away?¡±


    Calvin¡¯s mother nced at Amber before responding, ¡°You promise?¡±


    Almost as if she were asking Amber.


    Calvin looked down. ¡°Yes.¡±


    And then his mother left; of course, before leaving, she also dragged Calvin away, and warned Amber onest time. ¡°I¡¯ll still transfer her away if her illness doesn¡¯t improve.¡±


    Of course, this warning was more of an excuse, a pretense that gave off the impression that her ardent desire to transfer Elly out of Presbiterian was purely because she cared about her illness, and was worried about Amber¡¯s medical expertise being inadequate.


    But Amber ignored her two-faced excuse. She was feeling very gloomy-in the end she had had to rely on Calvin to resolve this problem, and it even seemed like he had been forced into a disadvantageouspromise to do so.


    Her heart was in shambles, an indescribable feeling. So, when Calvinter invited her out to dinner, she ultimately decided to go.


    Calvin had always been considerate, but this time, he had chosen a restaurant that was quite far away from her. Only when Amber arrived did she realize that it was next to a middle school. And by that time, school had already ended; the students were all gone, and the area by the school doors was deserted. As the car drove past it, she clearly saw the school name.


    The nearby surroundings had all changed; only that school door remained the same.


    When she arrived at the designated restaurant, Calvin was already standing outside, staring into the window. His face was bathed in the soft glow of the twilight sunset, giving him a somewhat bleak appearance.


    Amber walked over. He didn¡¯t turn around as he said, ¡°I remember the first time we met, when we were bothpeting in a mathpetition here. I didn¡¯t expect that, even after all these years, this school would still be around.¡±


    Amber smiled. ¡°How old were we back then? Fourteen, I think?¡±


    Calvin nodded. ¡°I was fifteen, and we were in the eighth grade. Middle school was really the most rxing period of my life. At that time, even though our family was so poor, he hadn¡¯t found us yet. My mom was doing her best to support me, and I wanted to give up on school to help her make more money.¡±


    So at that time, the reason why he had purposefully failed his test wasn¡¯t to apany her. Rather, it was to lower his mother¡¯s expectations of him so that he wouldn¡¯t have to continue going to school and could instead go find a job and start earning money.


    And here, Amber had always thought that it was to apany her.


    Yes, this world was truly filled with misunderstandings.


    Amber remained silent for a while, and then smiled. ¡°No matter how good the past was, people have to look forward. Today, thank you for your help.¡±

 Chapter 133. AREN’T YOU THE ONE WOOING OUR BOSS AXTON?

    ¡°What are you thanking me for?¡± Calvin turned around as he asked, ¡°For arguing with my mom?¡±


    He then smiled, a self-deprecating smile. ¡°She¡¯s still my sister, my mother¡¯s daughter, and you¡¯re ¡­.¡±


    Whatever Amber was to Elly, he didn¡¯t say, only staring at her. There was another period of silence before he said, ¡°Actually, it¡¯s I who should be thanking you. I know why you said it that way. You wanted to help wake up my mom.¡±


    Amber couldn¡¯t help herself from wanting to sigh, but she refrained herself and instead put on a smile as she said, ¡°As long as you don¡¯t mind me being nosy.¡±


    Calvin¡¯s voice was gentle. ¡°How could I?¡±


    At this moment, the waiter knocked on the door. ¡°Are you ready to order?¡±


    The two of them returned to their table and began ordering. Amber looked through the entire menu seriously, and eventually decided on a te of pork chops.


    After she said the name of the dish, Calvin couldn¡¯t stop himself fromughing. ¡°Just this?¡±


    Given her serious expression, Calvin was half-expecting her to order some rare and expensive dish.


    Amber inly replied, ¡°Just this. We¡¯re a small party, so we won¡¯t be able to finish everything if we order too much. Thus, I might as well order something familiar that I like.¡±


    Calvin stilled for a moment before smiling again.


    After the waiter left, Amber straight forwardly asked him, ¡°Did you call me out for a reason?¡±


    Calvin looked at her seriously. ¡°I¡¯d like to ask you to take special care of Elly from now on. With the state that my mother¡¯s in, I don¡¯t think that it¡¯d be a good idea to let her participate in Elly¡¯s treatment.¡±


    Of course, these words of his carried a hidden meaning ¡®that he wouldn¡¯t be able to take as much care of Elly as he had in the past¡¯.


    Amber frowned. He was still looking at her, focused on her pretty face which was as elegant as a waxing crescent moon and as calm and warm as a spring flower about to bloom.


    Amber seriously asked, ¡°Calvin, have you thought about how you¡¯re going to face your mother? Is following her every word actually any good for her?¡±


    After a while, she continued talking. ¡°You actually understand, don¡¯t you? You¡¯ve already done very well for yourself overseas, but then you willingly started over from the bottom when you came back.


    Why? Isn¡¯t it just to, again, lower her expectations of you? But have you seeded? Regardless of whether or not you have the capability, she keeps pushing you to achieve her dreams and desires, and you can onlypromise.


    It¡¯s the same for Elly¡¯s affairs. You¡¯re willing to take care of her, and you have the ability to do so, but simply because your mother said so, you have to avoid her. Regardless of whether it¡¯s good or not, or right or not, you only follow her desires. Calvin, are you really that devoid of your own opinions?¡±


    Calvin smiled bitterly. ¡°I also don¡¯t want to be like that, but ¡­.¡± He clutched his face as he confessed, ¡°I¡¯m the only thing she has.¡±


    Upon seeing this scene, Amber suddenly understood Calvin¡¯s thoughts ¡°he was full of guilt toward his mother, so he would alwayspromise with her, and could onlypromise¡±.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    And with that, the dinner ended on somewhat bad terms. Calvin¡¯s mental condition left Amber somewhat worried, and when they left, she sighed as she told him, ¡°I¡¯m not sure if you¡¯ve seen the movie ¡®Gaslight¡¯ before, but it gave rise to a word, ¡®gaslighting¡¯.


    Calvin, you were once my imaginary rival, and beyond that, we¡¯ve also beenpetitors, friends, and, even if only for a short time, lovers. Thus, I hope that, no matter what, you can always maintain an independent personality, a healthy mind, and an irrepressible vigor.¡±


    After leaving, Amber felt a bit stifled. When two people were in a close rtionship, it wasn¡¯t umon to see these supposedly intimate people start manipting each other.


    In the study of psychiatry, gaslighting referred to someone twisting and manipting their victim¡¯s reality in order to control their feelings. Amber didn¡¯t know what sort of things had happened between Calvin and his mother, but evidently, the confident, unhurried, and generous Calvin was vanishing.


    Amber could only hope that, after she provided some unbiased perspective about his situation, the clever him would be able to react ordingly.


    Elly¡¯s affairs also seemed to return to a calm after Calvin¡¯spromise with his mother. Afterwards, Nancy even called her to say, ¡°Don¡¯t think of me as a bad guy, Amber.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t. We simply have different standpoints. I¡¯m just the doctor of Elly, and professor, you want to be the doctor of many such Ellys.¡±


    ¡°After hearing you say this, I¡¯m very relieved.¡±


    Amber smiled.


    ***


    Later, she went to see Ian, and even discussed these events with him. Ian¡¯s body was responding well to the medical treatment; after two weeks of treatment, his vitals had all returned to normal. But out of prudence, the doctor still rmended that he stay the full three weeks.


    Ian had also started treating the hospital like it was his own house. Every afternoon or evening, after she left work, Amber would go visit him.


    Sometimes, she would bring him some soup or flowers, and whenever she did that, Billy would always jokingly tease, ¡°Dr. Camille, actually, it¡¯s you who¡¯s wooing our Boss Axton, right?¡±


    But Amber and Ian¡¯s discussions were entirely unrted to romance. For example, today, their discussion was about the schism between Nancy and herself. For Ian¡¯s grandmother, who was nearby, it almost bored her to tears.


    But Ian very seriously said to Amber, ¡°I support you.¡±


    Amber smiled, and his eavesdropping grandmother smiled as well. ¡®My goodness, her grandson was finally starting to understand rtionships! Wonderful!¡¯


    But right after celebrating, she heard a particrly shocking set of words from her grandson. ¡°Let¡¯s get rid of both Axton Pharmaceuticals and Nancy¡¯sboratory!¡±

 Chapter 134. INVITATION

    My goodness, those words sounded particrly savage due to the contrast of how calm Ian¡¯s tone was.


    Ian¡¯s grandmother was greatly shocked, and she was even momentarily unable to breathe. But Amber, who was sitting by Ian¡¯s side, didn¡¯t seem to be shocked at all. She instead asked in a somewhat interested tone, ¡°How?¡±Original content from N?velDrama.Org.


    Ian looked at Amber and then nced at his grandmother, who was still clutching her chest lightly behind them before saying, ¡°I¡¯ll listen to you.¡±


    He had purposefully altered his words because his grandmother was here. Amber wrung her wrists, thinking that his wariness was still too strong as she joked, ¡°We¡¯d surely fail if you listened to me, I¡¯m not smart enough.¡±


    Ian¡¯s lips curled up slightly. ¡°You understand yourself quite well.¡±


    Despite the disdainful pliment¡±, Amber didn¡¯t get mad. ¡°That¡¯s also a virtue.¡±


    Ian red at her, and Amber smiled in response. When Ian¡¯s grandmother saw these two behave like this, she became a bit flummoxed again. Sighing, she went outside to call her husband.


    Amber had already changed topics to Ian leaving the hospital. ¡°The doctor said that tomorrow¡¯s fine?¡±


    Ian seemed like he wasn¡¯t too happy about it, casually responding with a grunt.


    ¡®Did he not want to leave?¡¯ Amber put her chin in her palm as she smiled and said, ¡°What a coincidence, the day after is Trysta¡¯s birthday.¡±


    Ian didn¡¯t understand what the coincidence was, and shot a confused nce at her.


    ¡°That day will be very lively.¡±


    For Trysta¡¯s final birthday in her twenties, Frank wanted to host a grand birthday banquet for her. He had invited their families for the day celebrations and Trysta¡¯s close friends for the night festivities, a huge, themed party.


    Everyone in her ssmates¡¯ group chat had been posting about this for the past couple of days. Silvia was even asking her day and night, ¡°Do I look good in this outfit?¡±


    Her ssmates had participated in many activities together, but this was the first themed party they would ever attend.


    Amber wasn¡¯t particrly interested in this sort of event, but she felt that Ian, who had been living a more and more secluded life ever since he had been admitted into the hospital, very much needed to go to such a lively ce. So, she asked, ¡°We can bring family members to the party. Do you want to be my plus one?¡±


    Out of habit, Amber had used the words that Trysta had used to invite them, not realizing that ¡®family¡¯ had inexplicably given Ian a warm feeling inside. He nonchntly nodded his head as he responded, ¡°That¡¯s eptable.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then it¡¯s settled. The event¡¯s at night, so you have the afternoon to rest when you get home. The theme is ¡®holy angel.¡¯ What you wear and how you wear it is all up to you, so feel free to explore and be creative.¡±


    ***


    The next day passed by in the blink of an eye, and then it was Friday. Amber had something to do in the morning, but she was free in the afternoon. Earlier in the morning, Silvia had asked, ¡°Have you decided what you¡¯re going to wear?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°A doctor¡¯s costume, don¡¯t they say that all say doctors are angels in white?¡±


    And then Silvia bashed her. ¡°Scram! With such a half-hearted outfit, it¡¯s no wonder you couldn¡¯t steal my male idol away despite your temperament and looks!¡±


    Silvia¡¯s male idol was none other than Calvin. Trysta had at least kept her lips sealed and never revealed Amber and Calvin¡¯s rtionship, so Silvia still thought of them as sisters in hardship.


    Naturally, she had to share the newest hot gossip that she had just heard. ¡°He¡¯s engaged now, apparently to a rich heir. My goodness, I¡¯m also a rich self-made woman. Why didn¡¯t he choose me?¡±


    Amber was slightly dazed by the news, and bitter feelings slowly seeped out from her heart.


    Silvia continued gossiping. ¡°I never expected that we would be thest ones left. Honestly, I can¡¯t ept this situation!¡±


    Amberughed. ¡°Don¡¯t you have a boyfriend?¡±


    ¡°We broke up. He hates going out, so he should just stay home single his entire life. What¡¯s he even doing, trying to find a girlfriend?!¡±


    Silvia¡¯s tone was very rxed, and it didn¡¯t sound like she had been hurt at all by the breakup, so Amber onlyforted her superficially.


    ¡°Hng, I¡¯m not upset at all. As long as you¡¯re still with me, I¡¯ll be reassured!¡± And then she happily nned out what they would do at the party. ¡°What if the two of us go as a couple together? Based on our looks alone, I bet that we¡¯ll get lots of attention.¡±


    So all her earlier talk had been leading up to thesest few sentences. Amber almost couldn¡¯t bear to tell her that she had already found a male partner. But conveniently, when Ian got out of the hospital, Billy hade along with him, so Amber had extended an invite to him on Silvia¡¯s behalf.


    Yes, at that time, she had purely been trying to help Silvia find a suitable partner for the party, with no other thoughts at all.


    Upon hearing her offer, Billy epted at once. ¡°Ian¡¯s going? Then I have to go too!¡±


    She just didn¡¯t expect that Silvia would actually get outfits for the both of them, a set piece with a white angel and a ck demon costumes. As soon as Amber arrived, Silvia was dragging her doctor¡¯s outfit off and insisting that she change into the angel dress.


    Trysta and the others were standing to the side and enjoying the excitement, but none of them responded to Amber¡¯s pleas for help.


    In the end, Amber could only plead, ¡°I already have a male partner, and I even found you one too. Can I not change?¡±


    Amber could tell, even without wearing the clothes that Silvia had found, that they were far too risque for her tastes, Silvia¡¯s ck dress exposed arge part of her bare back that her demon wings didn¡¯t cover.


    She really couldn¡¯t go out dressed like that, alright?


    She wanted Trysta to testify that she had indeed brought two other people, because her doing so had to be approved by Trysta beforehand. But Trysta was very dissatisfied with Amber¡¯s doctor outfit. It was just too different from everyone else¡¯s! So, she lied and said, ¡°Really? I didn¡¯t know that.¡±

 Chapter 135. BEAUTIFUL AS A FAIRY!

    In the end, Amber still had to change into the angel outfit. At least her outfit wasn¡¯t as exaggerated as Silvia¡¯s. It was just particrly skintight and had a small exposed patch by her chest.


    Amber thought that she looked fine, but when she came out, she shocked Silvia, Trysta, and all the others. The first two reacted the quickest and immediately hugged her as they possessively squealed, ¡°Alright, you¡¯re my wife! You¡¯re not allowed to run away!¡±


    Amber coolly replied, ¡°Do you have a dick?¡±


    ¡°¡­ My goodness! Dr. Camille¡¯s been corrupted!¡± Silvia was rubbing against Amber, dabbing some oil onto her body.


    It took Amber some effort to push her away, but then it was Trysta¡¯s turn. She jokingly said, ¡°With the way you look right now, I¡¯m afraid to show you off to my man. You¡¯re too sexy!¡±


    Amber¡¯s heart trembled. She trusted that Trysta¡¯s words were a joke, but after that, she was very careful to spend most of her time with her female ssmates and to not talk too casually with any of her male ssmates-most of the males in their group were already married, and those that weren¡¯t tended to have girlfriends.


    And so, Silvia happily monopolized most of Amber¡¯s time, all the way until Ian showed up.


    Ian had shown up a littlete, and Amber was half expecting him to not show up at all. But in the end, he and Billy had ended up appearing in the lounge almost without a sound.


    The party lost control for a moment because these two people were too just eye-grabbing. They were wearing a pure white outfit and standing straight.


    Billy¡¯s looks were only decent, though he had a surprisingly imposing manner. And as for Ian, he was ¡­ too handsome with his elegant facial features that contrasted with his cool gaze. Dressed all in white, he seemed like the epitome of purity, cleanliness, and restraint.


    Someone immediately sighed, ¡°He looks more like an austere monk than an angel, doesn¡¯t he?¡±


    Many people immediately agreed.


    Even Frank and Trysta were surprised. The two of them, hand in hand, handsome, and pretty, greeted their two new arrivals. All in all, the four of them looked like they were from a painting.


    Billy was quite pleased with himself, but his behavior, like a peacock spreading its tail, quickly destroyed his bad-boy persona.


    Ian, on the other hand, ignored the gazes directed at him, and turned around as he scanned his surroundings and asked, ¡°Where is she?¡±


    Trysta didn¡¯t expect him to only care about Amber, and with slightly raised eyebrows and after exchanging a nce with Frank, she answered, ¡°Oh, she¡¯s upstairs. Follow us. We¡¯ll bring you there.¡±


    And so they went upstairs. Quite a few people were standing by the stairwell, all of whom had run out upon hearing themotion.


    Amber was also there, but she had been osted by one of Trysta¡¯s rtives¡¯ children the little girl very much liked the wings on Amber¡¯s back, and she had managed to find an exact replica from somewhere else and was now insisting that she put it on for her.


    So when Ian entered the room, all he could see of Amber was her slightly leaning down to affix the wings onto the little girl¡¯s back.


    He was facing her side, where he could see her back curving in a graceful arc as her head was slightly lifted, which exposed her snow white and thin neck. It had to be said that that night, her attire perfectly suited her; the skintight white dress clearly delineated each curvaceous line of her body.


    When coupled with her long ck hair that was slightly curled and extended to her waist, and the circlet of flowers on her head, Amber was as beautiful as an ethereal fairy, as if the two wings on her shoulders were angel¡¯s wings that would flutter once and carry her away at any moment.


    Themplight illuminated her figure, as resplendent as the starry sky. She was so beautiful that she seemed to transcend reality, almost as if she were a figure in a ssic scroll who had been drawn carefully with a brush, every stroke enchanting, each brush mesmerizing.


    Anything and everything next to her became but a foil. Ian¡¯s eyes only contained her in this moment. He very much wanted to run over and hug her, to touch her delicate stance with his own hands.


    He put his thoughts into action. Ian no longer felt like he had to restrain himself. She had invited him over, and she let him woo her. Wasn¡¯t that giving him the power to be a bit presumptuous?


    And so, he walked over, ignored everyone¡¯s nces, and hugged her from behind.


    At that moment, Calvin had also just the room as he had noticed Trysta walking up the stairs due to everyone else¡¯s reactions. He hadn¡¯t yet noticed Amber, but was wondering why everyone else seemed to be entranced by something. As he followed their gazes, he raised his head, and immediately saw Ian and Amber together.


    Actually, it wasn¡¯t just Calvin who saw their romantic disy, but also Silvia and the other passersby who had run out to see the hot guys. Everyone witnessed the abrupt hug, and they all stared open-mouthed at the two of them.


    Silvia was the first to react, almost immediately putting both hands on her hips and jumping out as she eximed, ¡°Who on earth are you, and what¡¯re you doing, casually hugging my wife?¡±


    Ian lifted his eyes and nced at her before releasing Amber and standing to one side. His gaze travelled from Silvia¡¯s long hair to the area between her legs as he bluntly asked, ¡°You¡¯re male?¡±


    Silvia subconsciously closed her legs at his brusque remark.


    And then Ian asked the same question that Amber had earlier. ¡°Do you have a dick?¡±


    Silvia immediately thought, ¡®Oh my god now I know where Amber became corrupted!¡¯


    Amber made a face while Ian¡¯s expression was as uncaring as ever. He turned around to look at Amber and casuallymented, ¡°This is quite beautiful.¡±Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    He touched her wings.


    The crowd was speechless. ¡®Was he praising Amber, or was he praising her wings?¡¯


    Billy even clutched at his face as he sighed. With the way his boss was, he was destined to be alone for life.


    At least Amber didn¡¯t mind. She leaned back down to tie down thest strap on the little girl¡¯s set of wings, and then removed her own set from her back. ¡°Do you want it?¡±


    Ian nodded.


    Amber summarily strapped her wings onto his body. The wings were very small, so when she put them on her body, he looked like a little bird that had just grown wings, imbuing him with an indescribable cuteness.


    Ian even stretched out his hand to touch them.


    ¡°Haha!¡± Trysta couldn¡¯t stop herself fromughing. ¡°Director Axton, I didn¡¯t expect you to look so good with those wings.¡±

 Chapter 136. I’M HER FIANCé

    ¡°Haha!¡± Trysta couldn¡¯t stop herself fromughing. ¡°Director Axton, I didn¡¯t expect you to look so good with those wings.¡±


    Ian didn¡¯t respond, but he was clearly pleased. After Trysta opened her mouth, it was as if she had broken the silent curse on everyone, and they all started chattering right away, asking, ¡°Amber, who¡¯s this? Is he your boyfriend?¡±


    Or, ¡°How handsome! Can I get an autograph?¡±


    Or, even fiercer, ¡°He¡¯s a pretty cute young guy, isn¡¯t he? Amber, are you sure that you¡¯re not an old cow chewing on green grass?¡±


    Amber¡¯s made a -_-|| face at thatment.


    She wasn¡¯t that old, was she? And did these people really have to be this excited? She felt like her hand was about to be jabbed to pieces, and meanwhile, Silvia was standing to the side, just looking at her andughing!


    What had happened to apanying her to the end of time?


    Amber felt a headacheing on, but Ian was being unusually nice today. He was even willing to talk to them, and slowly answered each question. ¡°She¡¯s not an old cow chewing on green grass as I¡¯m older than her.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t give you a signature.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not her boyfriend.¡± When the crowd fell silent at that answer, he continued to say, ¡°I¡¯m her fiance.¡±


    Amber and the crowd were both shocked speechless.


    Someone then asked, ¡°Is there a difference between these two?¡±


    ¡°Yes. A boyfriend¡¯s motive isn¡¯t necessarily to get married, but a fiance¡¯s is.¡±


    Everyone in the crowd made a (Oo) face as they thought, How logical.Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    Amber¡¯s only reaction was toplement Ian¡¯s memory in her head; how long ago had she said those words? And to think that he still remembered them.


    Silvia was still chuckling to the side, and she stretched her hand out and looped it around Amber¡¯s neck. ¡°Ah, Amber¡¯s fiance. Can I borrow your fiancee and have a word with her?¡±


    And before he could respond, she had already dragged Amber away from the encirclement.


    The two went down an empty set of stairs, coincidentally running into Calvin on the other side. He was dressed fully in ck today with a ck overcoat and a ck pair of pants. He had also cut his hair short. With his mouth slightly pursed, he gave off a sense of coolness that apanied his usual mncholy and gentleness.


    Silvia immediately became dazed when she saw him, only regaining her wits when Amber pulled on her back.


    The first thing she did when she regained her senses was to let go of Amber, who was pulling on her clothes, and start posing with her body as she did her best to make a flirtatious expression at him. ¡°Hey, idol!¡±


    She revealed her intentions as soon as she opened her mouth.


    Amber couldn¡¯t bear to look at Silvia out of embarrassment. Calvin didn¡¯t look at Amber either, instead only responding to Silvia. ¡°The two of you are here quite early.¡±


    Silvia yed her hair as she coquettishly said, ¡°We¡¯re bored.¡± Then she shot him a teasing gaze as she asked, ¡°You¡¯re here alone?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you were engaged? Why didn¡¯t you bring your girlf-¡± But when she recalled Ian¡¯s distinction between a fiancee and a girlfriend, she sourly corrected herself. ¡°¡­ your fiancee over?¡±


    After all, Trysta was already married. So in tonight¡¯s party, she had specifically instructed the attendees to bring their ¡°family members¡± over.


    Calvin replied, ¡°Something came up and she couldn¡¯te.¡± He then raised his head and looked in Trysta¡¯s direction. The couple was currently trying to help Ian extricate himself from the crowd, and coincidentally, thetter was ncing over at him at the same time.


    Their gazes met, but Ian was expressionless as ever. He only nced at him briefly with an air of indifference and arrogance, as if he were looking at an ordinary speck of dust.


    Calvin thought back to his mother¡¯s words again. When he had pleadingly begged, ¡°Why do you look down upon Amber so much? Don¡¯t you know that the Axton family can¡¯t wait for her to marry into their family?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because their surname is Axton, because they¡¯re the Axton family! Do you know what the difference between a kid from a rich family and a kid from a poor family to going to work and washing dishes is? The former¡¯s looking for new life experiences while thetter¡¯s trying to live!¡±


    These words rang true, and they were so cruel that Calvin couldn¡¯t say anything in response. And in this moment, when he saw that man being revered by the crowd and when he received his nce, he once again understood the true meaning behind those words that had been said so long ago.


    He didn¡¯t hear a single word of Silvia¡¯s, carelessly finding an excuse to keep walking downwards.


    Behind him, he could indistinctly hear Silvia ask in a perplexed tone, ¡°My idol isn¡¯t angry, is he?¡±


    And then a familiar and gentle voice responded, ¡°No, he¡¯s not.¡±


    Calvin paused. His hand clutched the handrail as he tightly clenched his eyes shut.


    Silvia looked on, disappointed, as her idol walked further away. ¡°He looks more and more handsome ¡­ but why does it also feel like he¡¯s getting further and further away from me at the same time?¡±


    Amber nced at Calvin¡¯s back with Silvia. He was only down there a few moments before he was tugged away by some male ssmates, who hooked their arms around his shoulders as they said who knows what and pressed down on him so much so that his waist seemed like it was about to break in half.


    After this, Amber didn¡¯t see Calvin again for the rest of the night. After Silvia had had her fill with her, Amber was dragged off by Trysta to be interrogated in another corner.


    Her first question was naturally, ¡°What¡¯s going on between the two of you? Is Calvin¡¯s mother not okay with you two being together?¡±


    Amber was a bit surprised, but soon remembered that it was very normal for Trysta to know about things, even though her circle of friends didn¡¯t ovep that much with Calvin¡¯s, she was intimately connected to his stepfather¡¯s family.


    She rubbed her face, exasperated. ¡°Can we not mention it?¡±


    Trysta stubbornly denied that request. ¡°No. As your good friend, I have to tell you something. It¡¯s actually a really good thing that the two of you didn¡¯t get together! Did you know about this? Calvin¡¯s mother used her illness as an excuse to trick him to return home from overseas, all so that she could use him to fight with her husband¡¯s stepchildren for their family assets.


    Calvin was initially unwilling to do so, so she forced him to marry the Lee¡¯s daughter. This sort of mother, honestly ¡­ I wanted to tell you this earlier, but I was afraid that you¡¯d get upset, so I held it in until now.¡±


    Upon hearing this bombshell, Amber was slightly dazed. She knew that something had been up, but she could never have expected it to be this dramatic.


    Trysta prodded her again. ¡°Ian¡¯s better, isn¡¯t he?¡±


    Amber didn¡¯t know what to say, and only after quite a while did she answer, ¡°Yes.¡±

 Chapter 137. DRUNK

    ¡°Tell me, are the two of you really going to get married? It feels very quick. How did you two end up together anyways?¡±


    What could Amber say to that? She still hadn¡¯t fully recovered from Trysta¡¯s first question. She was really rendered speechless by Trysta¡¯s behavior.


    Luckily, Frank came over to find them at that moment, and Amber managed to escape from a tribtion without needing to make an excuse or to lie.


    After Amber escaped, she spent the remainder of the party with Ian. Billy and Silvia weren¡¯t veryfortable with each other in the beginning, but after Silvia praised Calvin and then subsequently mocked by Billy, animosity arose between the two.


    They started ridiculously and unfathomably mocking each other, which generated a particrly lively atmosphere around them, a rather unique form of attachment.


    All in all, the party was quite sessful. rge group of people had split up ording to Trysta¡¯s circle of friends and then yed a team game where they teased each other and drank so much that the party almost devolved into a frenzy.


    Because Amber was worried about Ian, who was still recovering, she had helped him drink some of his alcohol. However, this only made Billy start targeting her, and she ended up having to drink a few more sses on top of all that.


    She managed to drunkenly stagger away after the game, and she secretly maneuvered herself to the lounge in the Frank family¡¯s garden, where she tried to sober up and regain her wits.


    A momentter, a cup was thrust towards her from behind. She turned around, and when she saw that it was Calvin, her heart shook a little.


    ¡°It¡¯s warm water. Here, have some.¡±


    Amber remained silent for a moment, and then she epted the ss of water after thanking him. The temperature of the water was just right, neither too cold nor too warm.


    After drinking it, Amber wiped her lips and said, ¡°Then, I¡¯ll be leaving.¡±


    ¡°Are you still only acting as his shield?¡± Calvin suddenly interjected.


    Amber stopped.


    She couldn¡¯t not stop, because she had seen Ian. He had appeared out of nowhere, and was coolly standing under a tree, looking at her-oh, at them.


    Regardless of how long Ian had been there, he must have heard Calvin¡¯s question because he directly asked, ¡°What shield? And who¡¯s ¡®he''¡±


    When Calvin heard these questions, he turned around, a little shocked.


    Amber was now standing between the two men, trying hard to bnce her emotions. She opened her mouth.


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    She didn¡¯t even have time to utter a single word before Calvin interrupted her. ¡°The ¡®he¡¯ we¡¯re talking about is you. Amber once told me that the two of you weren¡¯t romantically involved, and that you were only using her as a shield.¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    Ian seemed very perplexed by Calvin¡¯s answer, but his eyes remained fixed on Amber. ¡°Why would I have to use you as a shield?¡± His tone was calm, and he spoke with a slow and methodical cadence that he normally only reserved for when he was being amodating.


    He asked one question after another. ¡°Haven¡¯t we slept together? Haven¡¯t I kissed you? Isn¡¯t our rtionship intimate enough?¡±


    Amber couldn¡¯t even think of a response.


    All she could do was try her hardest to act dull and lifeless.


    But Calvin was shocked, and his face turned red. After a few moments of silence, he left without another word.


    Only Amber was left to face Ian. She didn¡¯t know what to say. Ian¡¯s face was still wearing that ever present cool expression of his. He didn¡¯t even nce back when Calvin departed. He had only ever looked at Amber from start to finish, even as he slowly said, ¡°Your idol¡¯s gone.¡±


    That unhurried tone, without any hint of mockery, made Amber subconsciously blush.


    She stiffly responded with an ¡°Oh¡± as she tightly clutched the cup in her hand. The night¡¯s wind blew at her until she started to feel dizzy, which made her so ufortable that she almost wanted to vomit.


    Ian didn¡¯t forget to remark, ¡°He ran away too easily. He really has nobat strength!¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    Amber rubbed her temples, as she even felt more drunk after the nausea caused by the blowing wind. Her brain was still wooden, but a fire and anger had been lit in her heart by his mocks and taunts.


    Without thinking, she stretched out her hand, pinched his forehead, and maliciously said, ¡°And what about you? Getting a cold and a severe allergic reaction ¡­ Aah!¡±


    Amber tripped. Though she flung her hand out quite quickly, Ian¡¯s body responded even quicker. She barely touched a clump of his hair, but for some reason, maybe she had used too much strength or something, it had made her fall forward and almost hit the ground head-first.


    The reason it was only ¡°almost¡± was because Ian had caught her in time.


    He had grabbed her from the back, one hand snaking underneath her armpit and clutching her chest, and the other firmly grasping one of her¡­ breasts.


    The chest of a young woman was plump and luxurious, with a wonderful stic feel to the touch. Ian found it quite nice, and didn¡¯t let go even after he pulled her up. Instead, he actually began squeezing it harder and harder.


    Amber looked at his hand in a somewhat dyed fashion. ¡°You ¡­!¡±


    She only had enough time to say one word before he grabbed one side of her face, forcibly tilted it to the side, and then kissed her.


    Amber didn¡¯t know how she was supposed to react after this plot twist-had they discussed anything ever like this before?


    And even at this time, she was still pondering if she was even fluent enough to speak. After all, she still hadn¡¯t spoken a full sentence tonight without being interrupted.


    Ian¡¯s kiss was somewhat rough because of his inexperience. At first, Amber didn¡¯t feel good at all, but she wasn¡¯t able to break free this time. The alcohol had left her whole body feeling woozy, weak, andzy.


    As her struggles weakened, Ian rxed his grip, and the hand pulling on her face became much gentler as it stroked her long and thin neck. This part of her body was beautifully sculpted, the curve reminiscent of a swan¡¯s, pretty and long, and white as jade.


    Ian had wanted to touch it the first time heid eyes on it, and he could finally fulfill that desire tonight. He felt a warm and satiny response from his fingertips, and continued to fondle it admiringly.

 Chapter 138. AN INTOXICATING TOUCH

    Amber didn¡¯t feel anything in particr from his kiss, but his touches made her scalp tingle. His palm was quiterge, his fingers cold. As his cold fingertips slowly andzily drifted across that little area of skin, electric shocks coursed through her whole body, from the tip of her head, through her heart, and then to her toes.


    She slumped into his embrace as she moaned out, ¡°Ian ¡­.¡±


    Even she couldn¡¯t even tell if she was trying to stop him or entice him further.Original content from N?velDrama.Org.


    The surge of both emotional and physical numbness gave her a few moments to reflect on her actions, but that quickly all turned to shame-goodness, who would have known that her neck was her sensitive spot!


    All this time, Amber had devoted herself to reading and working, to liking and waiting for Calvin. She had excelled at the theoretical aspects of rtionships, but in practice, she had never entered into a real rtionship before, and especially not one with such intimacy.


    She was getting quite nervous, but she was unable to break free. So what could she do? Only close her eyes, ept it, rx her body, and slide down with gravity.


    Unable to prevent it herself, she could only pretend to be drunk.


    Ian had originally been hugging her, and when he felt her body sag down, he conveniently lifted her up-it wasn¡¯t easy to pretend to be drunk, especially with someone like Ian who always acted unusually.


    He picked her up and then sat down where she had originally been sitting. Now, his two legs were mped against hers, one hand pulling her waist in, and the other very impolitely slipping into her clothes though the space between her breasts.


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    Amber immediately sat up and stretched out her hand to clutch that hand of his.


    Ian lowered his head and lightly nuzzled her face with his as she smiled and asked, ¡°You¡¯ve woken up from your stupor?¡± Then he even breathed lightly into her ear and, with an unusually happy tone, said, ¡°You were as nice to touch as I expected.¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    If not for him trapping her legs with his on and him also clutching her hands, she really would have wanted to knee his groin and then punch his face.


    But it was just a thought. Since she was unable to actually do it, she could only concede. ¡°Stop messing around,¡± she said with a sigh. ¡°We¡¯re at someone else¡¯s house.¡±


    Ian didn¡¯t listen to her; his entire being was too stimted, his breathing heavy, his eyes slightly reddened. Amber turned her face, ready to persuade him again, but all she saw were his scarlet lips, swollen from their kiss, and his deep brows and distinct features. His eyes were shining with delight, just like a rippling pool of water. The wind had blown his usual coldness away, and his whole body radiated a bottomless adtion.


    ¡°I want to woo you.¡± He lightly pecked her lips, pressed his forehead against hers, and then softly said, ¡°Without a contract, and without you feeling any obligation towards me. Just me and you, a man and a woman.¡±


    Ian¡¯s words made Amber¡¯s heart skip a beat. Only after a while did she finally ask, ¡°Why?¡±


    He pulled her hand into his chest and asked, ¡°Can you feel it?¡± His burning gaze was focused solely on her, and she could clearly see his slightly inclined face under the contrasting illumination of thembentmplight in the garden.


    His lips curved slightly up, his smile for once somewhat warm and refined with a few glints of gentleness that made it hard to resist. ¡°It¡¯s beating very quickly, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ***


    Amber, now lightheaded, was dragged back by Ian, which only made her feel more ufortable. Billy opened the door for the two, and she heard him ask, ¡°Is she really that drunk?¡±


    Ian nodded, and Billy clicked his tongue before replying, ¡°She must really like you. Just look at how much she was willing to drink on your behalf even when her tolerance is crap!¡±


    After a lengthy pause, he continued, ¡°Why¡¯d you bring her back here? Take her away! If nothing happens while you¡¯re drunk, then wouldn¡¯t it have been a waste for me to have poured her so much alcohol?¡±


    So he was plotting this all along! Amber stared fiercely at Billy, but it just made her feel dizzy. She rubbed her temples and incoherently rambled, ¡°Billy, don¡¯t you dare be too excessive.¡±


    Her tongue was lolling around, almost dangling out of her mouth. Instead of being threatening, her words had the opposite effect. Billy leaned over and innocently replied, ¡°Dr. Camille, I¡¯m being perfectly honest. I didn¡¯t do anything.¡±


    But behind Amber¡¯s back, he urged Ian on. ¡°Go on, go on.¡±


    Ian pulled her away. His gaze was profound, almost as if he were seriously considering the feasibility of Billy¡¯s suggestion. Amber felt a cool sensation on the back of her neck; his other hand had suddenly started caressing her neck, his fingers lightly stroking the tender skin there.


    She struggled and tried to pull away, but she was much too weak to seed, and when she tried to withdraw into her clothes, he simply extended his entire hand into them.


    His touch didn¡¯t make Amber angry, though. Instead, she softly called out, ¡°Ian!¡±


    She actually wanted him to stop messing around, but thezy positioning of her body and the soft tone of her voice made it appear as if she were simply being coy.


    Ian¡¯s hand, which was caressing her neck, suddenly stilled. He lifted his head to look at her, suddenly leaned down, and bit her lips. Before anyone could react, he raised his head and randomly said, ¡°I want to buy a cat!¡±


    Billy was struck dumb.


    ¡®Who could possibly predict Boss Axton¡¯s train of thought?¡¯ He had acted so intimately, and then suddenly blurted out something like that. Were the two things at all rted?


    Rather, how was wanting to buy a cat relevant to anything happening right now? Billy looked at Ian nkly, still pondering the rtionship between him and Amber, when he suddenly saw Amber point her slender finger at Ian and say, ¡°You¡¯re a clean freak. You can¡¯t ¡­ can¡¯t raise one.¡±


    Ian lowered his head and bit her lips again.


    Billy balked at their disy as he made a weird sound. ¡°Urk!¡±


    ¡®Their intimacy was blinding him! Was Ian provoking him on purpose by not leaving when Billy told him to?! It was just because he didn¡¯t want to see a Public! Disy! Of! Affection!¡¯


    ¡°You¡¯ll face retribution!¡± Billy said discontentedly.


    And retribution came quickly indeed ¡­.

 Chapter 139. SHE’S PREGNANT

    ¡°You¡¯ll face retribution!¡± Billy said discontentedly.


    And retribution came quickly indeed. In the form of Silvia and the others running over. They had been ying a game, and Silvia was trying to escape from her punishment.


    She had been chased into a tight spot by the others, and her eyes gleamed when she spotted the three of them. She quickly ran over and grabbed Amber. ¡°Amber, help me! They¡¯re bullying me!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re shameless! You lost a gamble and now you¡¯re trying to act dumb! Amber, you can¡¯t help her!¡±


    The crowd swarmed around the two women. Before they got close, however, Ian let go of Amber and coldly retreated a few steps. The others didn¡¯t notice his abrupt behavior in their revelry. The pitiful Amber was swallowed up by the crowd of people, their dragging and pulling only intensified her dizziness.


    She felt like she was in a spaceship soaring through the sky, the g-forces sending her stomach turning and tossing as a resplendent starryndscape appeared in front of her eyes. She waved her hand around helplessly. ¡°I¡¯m about to vomit.¡±


    No one heard her, and she started dry heaving. Silvia noticed Amber¡¯s plight at this moment; but she was trying to escape her own plight, so Silvia immediately yelled out, ¡°Amber¡¯s pregnant! She¡¯s pregnant!¡±


    Amber was stunned speechless.


    She was dazed and dizzy, but her mind was still clear. When she heard Silvia¡¯s nder, she tried to punch Silvia, but ended up hitting her shoulder in a drunken haze instead.


    But Silvia wasmitted to her lie. She turned pale with fright and eximed, ¡°There¡¯s a baby! Don¡¯t make any big motions!¡±


    By the time she said this, everyone had stopped moving, so her statement seemed particrly loud against the silence.


    Billy tried to confirm that he hadn¡¯t heard wrongly by turning to Ian. ¡°You¡¯re a father now?¡±


    Actually, he really wanted to ask if the baby was Ian¡¯s, because he knew that Amber had been with Calvin before this.


    And when he considered the timing of things, it seemed to work out very well! But he was afraid of receiving a beating, so he had phrased his question neutrally.


    Ian ignored him-he didn¡¯t need to respond because Amber vomited, and as she vomited she also listlessly scolded, ¡°Silvia, you¡¯re a pig!¡±


    After Amber finished vomiting, she finally passed out even as she thought about how ¡®impressed¡¯ she was with her own alcohol tolerance.


    When she regained consciousness again, her ears were filled with buzzing chitter-chatter, as if she were in the middle of a flock of ducks.


    ¡°You¡¯re awake.¡± Silvia¡¯s huge face appeared in front of hers, as if magnified.


    Amber had a big headache now, and she stretched out one hand to cover her eyes. ¡°Where am I?¡±


    She felt the other side of the bed sink down, and then Trysta¡¯s voice rang out. ¡°My home, of course! Are you still drunk? You really sleep soundly after drinking.¡±


    Only then did Amber put down her hand and look at her. ¡°What time is it?¡±


    ¡°Eleven.¡±


    ¡°At night?¡±


    Silvia looked at her superciliously. ¡°At night?! Even if you sleep soundly, do you really think that you could¡¯ve slept that long? Why not just sleep till the end of time at that point?¡±


    Trysta smiled and calmly replied, ¡°But then what would happen to Mr. Axton? He¡¯d lose his fiancee that way.¡±


    Amber froze for a moment as she recalled what had happenedst night in the garden, and also Ian¡¯s unusual heartbeat.


    Even while drunk, she could tell that he did indeed have an intense emotional response.


    ¡®But why? Was it because he had been provoked by Calvin, so much so that his emotions had finally emerged from the deep?¡¯


    After Trysta¡¯s mention of Ian, Amber started ponderingst night¡¯s events very seriously. Before her thoughts could get very far, however, even more people came up to her to talk about Ian.


    One said, ¡°Amber, where did you find such a boyfriend? He¡¯s so adorable!¡±


    Another asked, ¡°Ah, are you really pregnant? It¡¯s true, isn¡¯t it? If your child looks like the father, then please arrange a marriage between your baby and mine!¡±


    Amber was shellshocked!


    She remembered the mess that had taken ce before she vomited, and she looked tenderly at Silvia as she gently asked, ¡°Silvia, I¡¯m pregnant?¡±Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    Silvia¡¯s heart trembled as she wiped away the non-existent sweat on her forehead. ¡°I was joking!¡± She grabbed Amber¡¯s wrists and coyly replied back, ¡°I know that you were just drunk. I¡¯m sorry, will you forgive this baby?¡±


    Then she mimicked a baby¡¯s face, making everyoneugh. ¡°Amber, I feel like you¡¯ve been corrupted by your fiance. Look at that tone you used with me-it¡¯s frightening.¡±


    Amber immediately rified, ¡°He¡¯s not my fiance ¡­ what could I learn from him?¡±


    Another ssmate interrupted. ¡°That¡¯s right, how is Dr. Camille¡¯s Mr. Axton scary? He¡¯s as suave as anyone else, alright?¡±


    Then she looked at Amber briefly before saying, ¡°When he was ying games, he never lost. So, everyone heckled him, and do you know his response?¡±


    She coughed once, and then imitated Ian¡¯s tone and his cool expression as she said, ¡°It¡¯s fine if I lose, but my punishment has to be for me to kiss Amber, or for her to kiss me.¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    Besides her pitch, that female ssmate had really imitated him to perfection. Her impersonation instantly caused a hubbub to break out as everyone fell off the bed,ughing.


    Amber started sweating when she heard this story about Ian Axton-after all, she knew Ian best out of everyone there. He was totallycking in shame, and to him, kissing was a minor thing. At least he had exercised some restraint and not said something even more shocking.


    To top it all off, Ian had never been penalized; his intelligence was one thing, but Amber¡¯s male ssmates were also very protective of their female cohorts. How could they allow a mysterious ¡°fiance¡± who had sprung out of nowhere take advantage of one of their ss¡¯s idols?


    Yes, Amber felt that her male ssmates were very adorable!


    Amber was satisfied with their behavior in her heart, but after satisfaction came exasperation: in a single night, she had not only be ¡°pregnant¡± out of nowhere, but also found a fiance. Her decision to invite Ian to this sort of gathering as her plus one had clearly been a mistake.


    But what could she do now? She couldn¡¯t exin the situation away, so she could only let it be.


    And she had still seeded in her goal.

 Chapter 140. SMALL THOUGHTS

    Ian actually didn¡¯t leave even after she became incorently drunk, staying and nicely ying games with everyone else. It was truly a rare and precious achievement. Besides mah jjong, Amber hadn¡¯t ever seen Ian and Billy y anything else. The main reason why he had participated in the social activitiesst night was to not appear as aloof as he usually did.N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    Of course, a good temper for Mr. Axton was also rtive. His cold demeanor seemed arrogant and unapproachable to men, but handsome, adorable, and extremely charming to women.


    In this time and age, beauty was everything.


    Because Amber had found such a good ¡°fiance¡± and yet not told her ssmates about him, she had been ravaged by a band of female ssmates. Only after she escaped them did she finally get to wash up and change her clothes.


    She was still wearing the angel outfit fromst night, which was now rumpled and wrinkled after sleeping through the night. After Amber got out of bed, she quickly ran into the washroom for some privacy and called Ian. The response she got to her greeting was, ¡°Buy a cat.¡±


    She paused. ¡°A cat?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Why do you want one?¡±


    Ian didn¡¯t respond, and Amber didn¡¯t understand why he was suddenly interested in cats. Instead, she warned him, saying, ¡°Cats shed hair all over the ce. Are you sure?¡±


    After saying this, Amber felt like she had done her due diligence by reminding him, and then hung up.


    On the other end, Ian, who had just been reminded, turned to look at the cat carrier on the passenger¡¯s seat next to him, the cat inside was silent.


    It was a white Scottish fold with big eyes and a small, red nose. It was currently lying on its stomach and looking at him with a particrly sweet expression.


    He had searched for half a day before finally finding a cat that reminded him of a specific someone ¡­ and then she told him that cats would shed hair!


    His nose was already starting to feel itchy, and it was getting harder to breathe as well. His mysophobia seemed to manifest almost immediately upon hearing her words. Unable to bear it any further, Ian stopped by the roadside and was just about to throw the cat away when his phone rang.


    The hand on the cat carrier¡¯s handle stilled. He took his phone out, and on it was a text message from Amber. ¡°I feel like it¡¯s not a bad idea for you to get a cat, but a cat¡¯s life is still a life. So if you buy one, please take good care of it.¡±


    He returned to his office and looked at the cat for the entire morning before eventually calling his assistant over. ¡°Send this cat to my grandmother.¡±


    When Ian¡¯s grandmother received the cat, she was pleasantly surprised. She could feel in her heart that, after she introduced Amber to her grandson, he was behaving much more personably. Look, he even knew to give her gifts now! And such a cute little cat at that!


    She was so happy that she immediately called Ian after receiving the cat, saying that she would definitely take good care of it, and that she even wanted him to give it a name.


    Ian put down his pen, closed his eyes, and thought for awhile before saying, ¡°Call it Daggry.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    Daggry meant daybreak in Danish.


    Why Danish? Because Amber liked telling children¡¯s stories! ^o^ [TL: Hans Christian Andersen, prolific writer of fairy tales, was Danish].


    ***


    Amber hadpletely forgotten about the strange conversation that she had had with Ian about cats, and naturally knew nothing about Mr. Axton¡¯s thought processes.


    After washing up and exiting the bathroom, everyone had finally gotten tired of Ian Axton and moved on to an even more extreme topic.


    It wasn¡¯t clear who first suggested it, but a few girls were ying a game that tested the loyalty of their husbands and boyfriends.


    Despite Silvia having neither, she was still energetically throwing out ideas left and right. And when Amber came out, she could hear her cackling voice. ¡°Change to this one, this one. This one is sexy!¡±


    One of her ssmates had a secondary Whatsapp ount, which her ssmates were nning on disguising and then using to catfish their husbands and boyfriends. Upon hearing this n, Amber couldn¡¯t help but caress her forehead.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you guys have anything better to do?¡± She advised them very seriously. ¡°With how fragile feelings are, how many tests can it withstand? If it fails, you¡¯ll be happy, but your husbands and boyfriends definitely won¡¯t be happy if they find out.


    If it seeds, then even if you know that you¡¯re just joking, and even if he doesn¡¯t cheat on you, it¡¯ll be something lurking in the back of your mind for the rest of your rtionship. What¡¯s the point? Why create trouble for yourself?¡±


    No one listened to her.


    Trysta teased her for being a female Xuanzang [a famous monk, the protagonist of Journey to the West], and another ssmate of hers even said, ¡°Don¡¯t preach at us! We know just how much your Mr. Axton¡¯s enthralled with you. As for us, our husbands and boyfriends don¡¯t have as much wealth as the Trysta¡¯s family, or look as handsome as yours. So, they have to at least be loyal, don¡¯t they?¡±


    They had brought up Ian again. Amber sighed and weakly protested, ¡°He¡¯s not as good as you guys think he is ¡­.¡±


    And then everyone ignored her.


    She could only helplessly watch on as they sent out friend requests. Besides Silvia, the four women waited fervently for a response. Everyone here had drunk too much, and their partners were all staying in the other wing of the Trysta¡¯s estate.


    ¡®If the men were all staying together, then the fact that these requests had all been sent out at once. Even a fool would realize that something was fishy, right?¡¯ Regardless, Amber had given up on trying to persuade them, and she let them do whatever they wanted.


    But it turned out that there were still fools left in this world after all. One such was the husband of her ssmate. The two had grown up as childhood friends, and the man had always seemed sincere and earnest; however, he was the only one who had epted the unknown woman¡¯s friend request.


    Even though her husband ignored the messages that she sent, anyone could see that her smile was a little forced.


    And the second fool was Trysta.


    Amber originally thought that this spur of-the-moment event would peter out after the incident. After a sudden fit of anger, her ssmate listened to Amber¡¯s advice and cklisted her husband¡¯s whatsapp, and refrained from testing his limits anymore.


    But Trysta had been extremely bored and was inspired by this incident instead. After they all left, she actually made another Whatsapp ount to catfish Frank. This time, she set the profile picture to a cute little girl that gave off a pure and fresh image.


    She had known Frank for a few years by now, and naturally knew his tastes-what he liked was mature women, like herself.


    But this time, Frank epted the friend request from that fake ount of hers.


    Not long after the party, Amber received a call from Trysta¡¯s family. ¡°Amber? You¡¯re Amber, aren¡¯t you? Could you pleasee over? Frank was caught in an affair. Amber, she¡¯s about to go crazy from anger.¡¯


    Amber couldn¡¯t even think of a response.

 Chapter 141. GIFTS AND DATES

    When Amber picked up her phone, she was in the midst of a heated and somewhat arduous discussion with Ian-who knew which book Mr. Axton had read this time, but after he had announced that he was going to woo her during Trysta¡¯s birthday banquet, he had started faithfully performing the three daily tasks required for wooing a girlfriend: giving gifts, going on dates, and asking for kisses!


    After leaving Trysta¡¯s ce, Amber had originally nned on heading to the suburbs to see her parents, but when she was halfway there, she received a call asking her to sign for a gift that had been delivered.


    She asked the management office to hold it for her, but an employee there embarrassedly replied, ¡°Sorry, but this gift is one we can¡¯t hold at the moment.¡±


    Helpless, Amber could only turn around and head back home, where she saw a pickup truck¡¯s worth of flowers. It was an uncountable number, so much so that the two couriers had to make multiple trips to move all the flowers upstairs.


    The security guards at Amber¡¯s ce even thought that she had changed careers to be a florist.


    The flowers were even the pink roses that famously entranced young girls. When they were all moved into her apartment, half of her living room was upied. Mr. Axton had even included a very artistic handwritten note from himself, which read, ¡°Love only blossoms when you¡¯re carefree.¡±


    The words had a deep philosophical meaning, but Ian¡¯s usage of it in this situation made Amber feel a bit awkward.


    Looking at all these flowers, her first thought was that, at the very least, it was a Sunday, and that the flowers had been sent to her home rather than her workce. Otherwise, after that appointment booking incidentst time, she would probably be infamous in Presbiterian Hospital.


    Her second thought was that once these flowers wilted, there would be so much trash ¡­.


    Somewhat powerlessly, she called Ian. ¡°Thank you for the gift, but what¡¯s the purpose for this?¡±


    Ian coolly responded, ¡°To woo you, of course.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Thank you, but can you not spend so much money?¡±


    In his usual nouveau riche manner, Mr. Axton replied, ¡°It¡¯s fine. I make a lot.¡±


    Amber had to first praise him before she could try to persuade him. ¡°You¡¯re really amazing, able to make so much money despite being so young. But no matter how much you make, you can¡¯t be so wasteful. The flowers are pretty, but once they dry up, they¡¯ll just be useless piles of trash!¡±


    Mr. Axton fell silent, the word ¡®trash¡¯ striking him in his mysophobic heart.


    The next day, Amber received something in ce of flowers. He invited her out for dinner, and afterwards, he said, ¡°Let¡¯s go watch a movie.¡±


    Dinner and a movie, a standard date for a couple. Amber couldn¡¯t refuse because she was the one who wanted him to woo her, and she wanted to see how far he would go in pursuing her. Thus, she went along with him.


    Because it was almost Chinese New Year, there weren¡¯t any good films showing. So, the two of them had no choice but to watch a dreary, mediocre romance flick. Then, it was another round of gifts, dinner, and movies again.


    After Amber explicitly said to not send anything to her because she wasn¡¯tcking anything and that she would have to work to find a ce for anything he did send her, Ian began to send breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Like clockwork, meals would appear by her side at the same time everyday.


    The first time it happened, Amber was a bit surprised and somewhat touched. The second time, she felt somewhat embarrassed that he was spending so much money on her. To console herself, she started recording all of the meals that he sent her in a little notebook, nning on repaying him after he regained his emotions.


    The third time she received a meal, she was already very calm. Everyone in the department admired her delivered meal, and she responded, ¡°My brother insisted on ordering it for me, saying that I¡¯m too skinny.¡±


    Everyone looked at her skinny body, unsuspecting of her white lie. Ian had been busy with his own affairs recently, so even though he regrly sent gifts, he never actually delivered them himself, and thus her lie was never exposed.


    She managed to muddle through the gifts in this manner, but the dates were somewhat harder. Ian¡¯s dates were on a fixed schedule; they took ce once every two days, regardless of how busy he was. Though Amber was sometimes preupied and couldn¡¯t go, but when she had the time, they would go out without fail.


    And so, the two of them thus started ¡®dating.¡¯ Ian¡¯s performance conformed with societal norms. Amber felt that this wasn¡¯t bad, and she treated it as if they were just friends.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    But those thoughts were quickly overturned because Ian¡¯s actions soon transcended the realm of friendship.


    On that day, they had gone out for food as usual, but they didn¡¯t go to a movie afterwards, as they had seen them all by now. Instead, the two of them started ying tennis. Given Amber¡¯s fitness, yoga was fine, but trying to match Ian in a sport was an entirely different matter. Losing was one thing, but after three matches, she was exhausted.


    Afterwards, she wasn¡¯t even able to walk steadily, and her racket slipped out of her hand as she slumped down to the floor, panting. Ian slowly walked up to her from the other side, put his racket underneath his arm, and crouched down in front of her.


    Amber waved a hand at him in resignation. ¡°I¡¯m done, I can¡¯t keep going ¡­.¡± She couldn¡¯t even say anything else because Ian had started wiping her sweat away with his towel.


    She wanted to avoid it, but was unable to do so as Ian was firmly yet gently grasping her head as he dabbed at her face. ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡±


    Amber had no choice but to stiffen up her body and let him wipe her sweat off. Although he wasn¡¯t particrly gentle, he was very detail-oriented as he gradually and exasperatingly slowly moved down her forehead.


    After waiting for such a long time and not seeing any significant progress, Amber gave up, closed her eyes, and let him take his time.


    And after who knows how long, she felt a strange softness on her lips. She quickly opened her eyes and saw his dark brows.


    ¡°You ¡­.¡±

 Chapter 142. KISS IN THE END

    ¡°You ¡­.¡± Her voice was hoarse and her throat dry. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Kissing you, of course,¡± he said as if it were to be expected. His voice tended to be cool and chilly, as if he were detached from the natural world. And, as usual, his face was calm and refined, without a hint of embarrassment regardless of the situation.


    ¡°It¡¯s time. We can kiss now.¡± Then, he knelt down on one knee, bent his head, and began sucking on her lips. After Amber¡¯s strenuous exercise, her lips had be a little dry, so he patiently and slowly caressed her lips with his own. Because of his patience and care, it ended up being somewhat touching.


    Amber couldn¡¯t clearly identify the emotions that were welling up endlessly from her heart; perhaps she was a little fric, and maybe even a little ¡­ happy, a kind of sweetness that she couldn¡¯t control.


    As she lightly exhaled, Amber pushed him away. ¡°Did your heart beat faster again this time?¡±


    He felt his chest for a moment, and then shook his head. ¡°But shouldn¡¯t we be proceeding to the next step around now anyways?¡±


    When he saw Amber¡¯s confused look, he even smiled a little. ¡°Giving gifts, having dates ¡­ don¡¯t couples always kiss in the end?¡±


    Amber was speechless.


    ¡®My goodness, so it was all a trap! Return my sweetness and take this panic back!¡¯


    And so she immediatelyunched a rational discussion. ¡°That¡¯s moving a bit too fast. You still haven¡¯t felt what love is, so it¡¯s not appropriate to act so intimately yet.¡±


    He made an ¡°Oh¡± sound, and then, with his unusual brand of logic, said, ¡°Then, you kiss me.¡±


    ¡°Why should I kiss you?¡±


    ¡°So that I can fall in love with you more quickly. Don¡¯t they say that a male chasing after a female has to scale a mountain, whereas a female chasing after a male only has to lift a veil?¡±


    ¡­ It sounded quite logical when he put it that way.


    Trysta¡¯s family called Amber right when she was at a loss for words. Even through the phone, Amber could hear the unusual shrillness in Trysta¡¯s voice.


    Amber immediately became serious, and despite her iling limbs, managed to stand up. ¡°I have to go somewhere right away.¡±


    She didn¡¯t intend to let him tag along because she didn¡¯t know what sort of situation Trysta was in and didn¡¯t want to stimte him. However, when she turned around, he pulled her back.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you,¡± he said. ¡°We¡¯re still on our date.¡±


    Amber ¡­ couldn¡¯t think of a rebuttal.


    She looked at the hand holding onto her, and then at Ian.


    He seemed to be quite serious, and his face was clearly unhappy-his date being interrupted made him feel quite ufortable.


    Amber suddenly felt an urge tough, but she resisted the temptation. ¡°Trysta might cause a bigmotion.¡± She was afraid that it would scare him.


    Ian adamantly stated, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Even if she does go crazy, it won¡¯t frighten me.¡±


    He seemed to havepletely forgotten about how badly Elly¡¯s rpse had affected him.


    In the first ce, Trysta wasn¡¯t very likely to have actually gone crazy. She had a pretty robust mentality, and even if Frank was truly having an affair, she was more likely to be overreacting because of excessive stimtion-calling her ¡°crazy¡± was most likely an exaggeration.


    But Amber really didn¡¯t want to bring Ian with her. Trysta¡¯s pride wouldn¡¯t be able to ept her former idol seeing her in such a disarrayed state.


    On the other hand, Mr. Axton wouldn¡¯t be able to ept such an abrupt end to their date either.


    Amber thought for a little while and then said, ¡°Send me home, will you?¡±


    If he sent her home, then the date would be over.


    As expected, Ian happily agreed and sent her home, but there was a small incident when Amber tried to leave the car. When she went to open the door, he pulled her back into the car.


    Amber thought that he still wanted to tag along to the Wilson estate, and she preemptively said, ¡°It¡¯s really not too convenient ¡­.


    ¡°Say goodbye and then we¡¯ll kiss.¡± Having said that, he tilted his lower jaw up, looking at her expectantly.


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    She leaned over, quickly kissed his forehead, threw a casual ¡°Bye¡± at him, and then ran off without looking back.


    She didn¡¯t dare look at Ian¡¯s expression after her haphazard farewell, so she didn¡¯t see his shallow smile and pursed lips.


    ***


    Amber was mainly concerned for Trysta, and when she returned home, she grabbed a fewmon over-the-counter drugs for mental stabilization before taking a taxi to the Yuval household.


    Neither the Wilson family nor the Yuval family werecking in money, so when the two of them had gotten married, both bride and groom each had their own house.


    One was the vi where Frank had hosted Trysta¡¯s birthday party, which they asionally stayed in, and the other was in the city. While thetter wasn¡¯t as big, it was in an optimal location, and was where the couple generally resided after their marriage.


    Today, Trysta was staying in the city. As soon as Amber arrived at the building¡¯s front entrance, she could already hear Trysta¡¯s shrill yells. There were quite a number of residents gathered around, looking up at the building as they gossiped wildly.N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    Amber calmly took the elevator up and knocked on the house¡¯s door. Frank¡¯s aunt opened the door for her. Inside, there were quite a few people sitting in the main living room: Trysta¡¯s parents, two brothers and sisters-inw, Frank¡¯s parents, her aunt, and Frank himself.


    ¡®So the direct rtives of both families were here.¡¯


    Presently, they were sitting far from each other, Trysta¡¯s family members guarding the bedroom door while Frank¡¯s family sat obediently in the living room.


    The living room, which had originally been designed to beforting and rxing, had be a total mess, destroyed beyond recognition. Trysta herself was in the bedroom, yelling out helplessly.


    She wasn¡¯t scolding anyone, but rather howling out her raw anger, despair, and helplessness to the world.


    Amber and Trysta were quite good friends, so both families instantly recognized her, causing them to rx. Frank was crumpled up on one side of the living room sofa, but even he couldn¡¯t help but raise his head.


    His face was full of scratches, as if a violent beast had wed him.

 Chapter 143. I WANT HIM TO DIE

    Amber only spread Frank a nce before turning away and greeting Trysta¡¯s distraught parents. ¡°Mr. Wilson, Mrs. Wilson.¡±


    ¡°Amber.¡±


    Before Amber¡¯s mother could say anything more, she broke down in tears. She was a very gentle woman, thin and skinny. ¡°Please help me look after Trysta. What¡¯s she going to do?¡±


    Amber nodded, not asking about the situation as she went into the room to first look at Trysta.


    The room was even more devastated than the living room. Trysta was being pressed against the bed by her brothers and sisters inw, like a beached fish stranded on and full of despair with nothing she could do but yell her heart out.


    Amber took a set of medicine that she had prepared earlier out of her bag. ¡°Her voice ispletely hoarse. Take this and prepare some water for her.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± With trembling hands, Trysta¡¯s mother took the medicine and turned around to pour out some water.


    Amber stepped over the jumble of random items on the floor as she called out Trysta¡¯s name from the foot of the bed.


    Trysta didn¡¯t respond, so Amber grabbed her hand to check her pulse, ¡°How long has she been like this for?¡±


    ¡°Almost half an hour,¡± Trysta¡¯s brother replied. ¡°We¡¯re too afraid to release our grip on her. One time when we did, she tried to kill him before trying to jump off the building.¡±


    ¡°Seeing Trysta like this ¡­.¡±


    ¡°Shh!¡± Amber softly shushed him, and then pushed him aside and grabbed one of Trysta¡¯s hands in his ce. Trysta¡¯s strength was much greater than she expected. She had been struggling for so long, but in the short time when Amber took over, Trysta almost struggled free.


    Amber had no other option but to lie down on Trysta¡¯s hand, using her entire body to hug Trysta as she incessantly called out, ¡°Trysta, Trysta, Trysta, beautiful Trysta, adorable Trysta, the most perfect Trysta who we know ¡­ will you calm down?¡±


    Then, Amber whispered into Trysta¡¯s ears, ¡°I know that you¡¯re certainly very mad, and you want to kill him, don¡¯t you? I¡¯ll help you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll help you!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll definitely help you!¡±


    Amber repeated this phrase a few times. Maybe it was because Trysta was finally tired from venting, but her howls weakened soon after, and then when she recognized Amber¡¯s voice, she turned her head around to look at Amber.


    Amber raised her voice. ¡°If you¡¯re quiet, then we¡¯ll let you go, alright? Promise me, and believe in me!¡±Original content from N?velDrama.Org.


    Trysta started panting as she continued to look straight at Amber.


    Amber didn¡¯t shy away, looking straight back at Trysta, her gaze calm and resolute. Trysta slowly calmed down, but the expression on her face remained as malevolent as ever. ¡°I want him to die!¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Amber didn¡¯t hesitate to agree at all.


    ¡°Now, immediately, right away!¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Amber responded even more decisively. Then, she turned around and said, ¡°Go and pour two sses of water for us,¡± as she looked at Trysta¡¯s mother.


    The requested water quickly came. Trysta saw Amber drop two pills into one ss, and then call Frank in.


    Upon seeing him, Trysta couldn¡¯t hold the enmity in her eyes back, and she started shrieking shrilly again. Amber hugged her tightly and said to Frank, ¡°Trysta¡¯s thirsty, and she wants you to feed her a ss of water.¡±


    Frank hesitantly looked at Trysta, and then picked up a ss of water.


    ¡°Wait.¡± Amber stopped him. ¡°She¡¯s afraid that you¡¯ll poison her, so drink this ss of water first.¡±


    An embarrassed expression emerged on Frank¡¯s face, but he didn¡¯t protest as he downed the ss of water in one gulp.


    And then, he copsed onto the floor in a heap.


    He had fallen so suddenly that everyone was shocked, and Trysta¡¯s two sisters-inw even yelled out in fright for a brief moment.


    All of Frank¡¯s family members were standing by the door and were subsequently shocked upon seeing the situation. Frank¡¯s mother and aunt quickly ran forward as they desperately shouted, ¡°Frank! Frank!¡±


    But Frank didn¡¯t respond at all, almost as if he was dead.


    Amber didn¡¯t look at either of them, focusing solely on Trysta as she conspicuously spoke by her ear, ¡°That was a prohibited drug from ourboratory. Those who ingest it will fall into a deepa. Not long after, he¡¯ll start to have difficulty breathing and then his heart and lungs will copse.


    The cause of death isn¡¯t very different from a sudden heart attack, and even forensic investigators will have a hard time identifying his true cause of death.¡±


    She hugged Trysta as she asked, ¡°Isn¡¯t it better this way?¡±


    Trystapletely quieted down, now looking at Amber dazedly. Amber smiled in response, and then said to Trysta¡¯s equally dazed brother, ¡°Trysta¡¯s thirsty. Get her some water to drink.¡±


    When the water was brought over, Amber personally helped Trysta drink it. As Amber held the ss up, she said, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, and don¡¯t worry. Drink this and go to sleep. After you wake up, everything will be fine. Don¡¯t worry. If anything happens, I¡¯ll shoulder the me with you.¡±


    Perhaps it was because Frank¡¯s ¡®death¡¯ had shocked her too much, or perhaps it was because Amber¡¯s words had warmed her heart, but for whatever reason, Trysta actually cooperated and drank that ss of water.


    Not longter, amidst the sobs of the Yuval family, she closed her eyes and fell into a peaceful sleep.


    Only then did Amber lightly exhale, put down Trysta, and turn to address the distraught Yuval family. They were all clustered around Frank, hugging him, crying, and calling for help. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, he¡¯s not dead. He just ingested a few sleeping pills.¡±


    Even though she had been ¡®whispering¡¯ into Trysta¡¯s ears, she hadn¡¯t done it very softly, so most people in the room had heard at least a little of that exchange.


    In this sort of situation, it was honestly already quite level-headed for them to only embrace Frank instead of rushing up to Amber to beat her up.


    Nevertheless, when Amber spoke, despite her gentle tone, a cold indifference permeated her words.


    Frank¡¯s mother and aunt both choked at her callousness, and then his aunt criticized her. ¡°As a doctor, how can you frighten someone like that?¡±


    ¡°Then, should I wake Trysta up and let her stab him?¡± Her tone was practical and realistic as she continued, ¡°I do have to say, she¡¯s currently in a bad mental state. Even if she does stab him, it would be a waste.¡±


    Frank¡¯s mother and aunt, who were familiar with Trysta¡¯s crazy behavior, were rendered speechless.

 Chapter 144. IS SHE TRULY INSANE? Part 1

    Luckily, Frank¡¯s father was reasonable, and he went up to talk to the two of them. In the end, the three of them lifted Frank up and brought him out.


    Only then did Amber look at the Wilson family. Right now, they were still a bit dazed, mainly because Amber¡¯s behavior today was very different from normal. Before this, they had all thought that she was a pure and soft-hearted woman. Someone pretty with a good character, good temperament, and a kind, generous, and understanding heart.


    And only now did they even realize that the familiar woman they thought they knew had such a daring side to her.


    The intrepid but soft-hearted Amber then said, ¡°The way this ce looks will negatively impact Trysta¡¯s mood. I¡¯d like to take her back to my ce.¡±Original content from N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°The hospital?¡± Upon hearing Amber¡¯s request, Trysta¡¯s mother¡¯s voice started trembling.


    Amber didn¡¯t respond, and instead asked a few questions. ¡°When did she start having these abnormal feelings?¡±


    ¡°Two days ago, when she found out that Frank cheated before they got married. At that time, she was very angry, but just angry. She wasn¡¯t throwing things around or hitting people-she was just saying that she wanted to divorce Frank.


    We all thought that she might have been acting a bit rash, so we advised her not to be so impetuous, to think it through carefully. However, this merely made her feel that none of us understood her and that we wanted to see her die.¡±


    ¡°Aside from this, did she disy any other unusual behavior?¡±


    ¡°Yes. She said that Frank wanted to kill her, and she said that he married her all to do that. But we thought that she was just spouting nonsense after being excessively angered. So we didn¡¯t ce much importance on it.¡±


    Amber nodded. ¡°Then what happened today?¡±


    ¡°Today, the two families got together to see if we could persuade the two of them to reconcile ¡­.¡±


    Amber interrupted her. ¡°Is it true that Frank had an affair?¡±


    Actually, she was hoping that it was false, and that it was all in Trysta¡¯s imagination. But after a mild silence, Trysta¡¯s brother said, ¡°It¡¯s true. When she made a fake ount to test Frank¡¯s loyalty, he mistook it for another woman¡¯s ount and immediately warned her to stop harassing him, saying that they were over.


    After Trysta led him on some more, she found out that, before they got married, Frank had multiple girlfriends besides her. One of them had gotten pregnant and threatened him, so Frank had found someone to forcibly cause her to have an abortion before breaking off all connection with her ¡­.¡±


    ¡°¡­ and you still want them to reconcile after this?¡±


    ¡°What else can we do?¡± Trysta¡¯s mother interrupted through her tears. ¡°Trysta¡¯s also pregnant now.¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    When Amber¡¯s mother said this, everyone¡¯s expressions revealed various levels of annoyance and exasperation. It wasn¡¯t just Amber¡¯s; even Trysta¡¯s father looked ashen.


    Amber was simrly at a loss for what to say. She remained silent for quite a while before asking, ¡°How long have you known?¡±


    ¡°We only found out after it was all revealed. Trysta was so mad that she fainted, and we were afraid that something more serious had urred, so we sent her to the hospital for an inspection. It was then that we found out that she was pregnant.¡±


    A happy asion that couldn¡¯t be considered joyful was preceded by tremendous anger and sorrow. No wonder the normally strong-willed Trysta would copse like this. Amber sighed and then asked, ¡°Then what¡¯s all this today?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re still not sure about the overall picture. Originally, the atmosphere was still manageable, and Trysta was willing to listen to reason for the sake of the baby.


    But then, out of nowhere, she received a phone call and suddenly went crazy. She started scratching and wing at Frank, and even grabbed up a knife while saying that she would kill him.¡±


    Luckily, there were plenty of other people around today. Otherwise, something truly horrific might have actually happened.


    Trysta¡¯s brothers were a bit scared as they recounted this, and one of her sisters-inw quickly asked, ¡°Is Trysta ¡­ truly insane now?¡±


    Everyone in the Wilson family looked towards her indignantly, and Trysta¡¯s father frowned. ¡°What nonsense are you spouting? Trysta¡¯s just lost control of her rage! Are you going to believe that nonsense too?¡± Trysta¡¯s father had a severe demeanor, and he rarely talked, so everyone went silent at his sudden tirade.


    After a while, Amber asked, ¡°Do you know who called her?¡±


    Everyone shook their heads. ¡°We asked Frank, but he said that he didn¡¯t know. Trysta also smashed her phone, so we can¡¯t find out even if we wanted to.¡±


    Amber stopped her questioning, and after thinking for a while, started muttering to herself. Finally, she stated, ¡°I feel like it¡¯s in Trysta¡¯s best interests to go to the hospital. She seemed to have a strong inclination towards death, and I¡¯m worried that something drastic might happen when she wakes up.


    When Amber saw Trysta¡¯s family hesitate, she continued pushing them. ¡°We have to make a decision quickly. The medicine I gave her was a mental suppressant, and the only reason she fell asleep was because she was fatigued from all that struggling. It¡¯s better to have everything nned and ready to go before she wakes up.


    Trysta¡¯s mother looked at Amber, tears still brimming in her eyes. ¡°Is Trysta doing that badly right now?¡±


    ¡°At the moment, it¡¯s not clear. We have to wait for her to wake up before we can ascertain her situation. However, staying here is evidently not suitable for her.¡±


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll move her!¡± Trysta¡¯s father made a decisive statement. ¡°But not to the hospital. We¡¯ll first go to our house. We¡¯ll watch over her there, and she should be fine, right?¡±


    Thisst question was directed at Amber.


    Trysta¡¯s mother anxiously added, ¡°Trysta cares a lot for her appearance, and sending her to a ce like that. I¡¯m afraid that she¡¯d really ruin herself.¡±


    Regr people were always somewhat fearful and held huge misconceptions towards mental asylums and mental illnes.


    Amber sighed, finally relenting. ¡°Alright, but she shoulde to my apartment. My home is closer to the hospital, so if anything happens, we can always resort to that. Additionally, I feel like it¡¯s better for her to be as isted from her past as she can right now. Perhaps it¡¯ll aid in her recovery.¡±


    This suggestion was approved by everyone from Trysta¡¯s family, as for the Yuval family ¡­ at this time, who would listen to their opinions?


    They were pests that had to be chased away!

 Chapter 145. IS SHE TRULY INSANE? Part 2

    Finally, Trysta was sent to Amber¡¯s apartment. Her parents apanied her, they stayed in the guest room, Trysta the master bedroom, and Amber the living room.


    Everything was settled on the way there, but once they entered the house, Amber saw that her house was still full of flowers. She instantly remembered that she still hadn¡¯t dealt with these things, and felt a small impulse to make a ¡°Ng¡± face.


    Even though they were concerned with Trysta¡¯s situation, the Wilson family was still slightly shocked by this house full of flowers. Trysta¡¯s elder sister-inw even joked, ¡°Amber, are you ¡­ switching jobs to be a florist?¡±


    Amber muddled through the question before instructing Trysta¡¯s elder brother to carry her to Amber¡¯s room. The reason why the flowers in the living room were shocking was because of their quantity, and also because of their artistic presentation.


    All the pink roses were grouped up by the balcony, and from them was a little road inteced with ivy and orchids that extended to the living room. From afar, it seemed as if fresh flowers had overtaken the room.Original content from N?velDrama.Org.


    The fragrance of the flowers permeated everyone¡¯s nose, and their pink color saturated their eyes, but otherwise, they didn¡¯t inhibit anybody¡¯s activities.


    Before Trysta woke up, the Wilson family had already divided up the tasks that they had to aplish. Her elder brother would go and fix Trysta¡¯s phone to see if he could find out why she had gone crazy earlier.


    Her second brother and sister-inw would go back and fetch some of her casual clothes. Finally, Trysta¡¯s parents and elder sister inw would stay here so that they would have enough people to deal with Trysta if she went berserk again.


    Trysta didn¡¯t end up sleeping for very long, and she woke up almost right after they finished nning. Amber walked inside upon hearing her stir, and saw that she was already sitting upright.


    Trysta opened her eyes wide and looked right at Amber. ¡°Is Frank dead?¡±


    Before Amber could respond to Trysta, Trysta¡¯s mother, who had followed Amber in, anxiously replied, ¡°He¡¯s dead. Completely dead!¡±


    ¡°Dead?¡± Trysta stilled, and then startedughing loudly. ¡°He¡¯s dead? Hahaha, is he finally dead?¡±


    And then she suddenly started crying loudly, ¡°He¡¯s a murderer, he wanted to kill me! Why didn¡¯t you guys believe me? Why?¡±


    As Trysta monologued, she gritted her teeth and stared at everybody in the room. Her eyes were slightly discolored, and her normally beautiful face now seemed sinister and frightening.


    Her demented expression scared Trysta¡¯s elder sister-inw so much that she shuddered and slid back as she tremblingly said, ¡°If she goes insane, she¡¯ll kill someone. Why not ¡­ why not send her to the hospital?!¡±


    Trysta suddenly stood up, and her sister inw was so scared that she let out a shriek. Amber turned around and tried to push everyone else out, but just as she was about to close the door, Trysta¡¯s father stopped her. ¡°You alone? Why don¡¯t I stay here too?¡±


    Amber twisted her head to look at Trysta, and then tacitly approved of Trysta¡¯s father¡¯s suggestion. In that time, her mother also took the opportunity to squeeze back into the room.


    She wasn¡¯t reassured about her daughter¡¯s condition.


    Glistening tears were still dripping from Trysta¡¯s face, but she wasughing while standing on the bed with one hand on her hip and the other pointing at them. ¡°A madman, a lunatic. Kill him!¡±


    She normally liked to be clean and pretty, but she was unabashedly wearing yesterday¡¯s dirty and creased clothes, her hair in aplete mess. Trysta¡¯s parents had two sons and a single daughter, and they loved her as dearly as could be. But they didn¡¯t expect that their daughter, whom they had raised with all their heart, would end up like this.


    Shen Wei¡¯s mother had to bite down on her hand to keep herself from crying out, and her father was just standing there, dazed. He might have considered her earlier condition a fluke, but was no longer able to do so after hearing her shout about killing someone while turning in circles to try to find a weapon.


    ¡°Let¡¯s send her to the hospital.¡± Trysta¡¯s father said even as tears fell from his face.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make the call.¡±


    Amber said nothing as she walked up to hug Trysta, who was getting ready to jump off the bed and head outside.


    Trysta struggled forcefully against Amber¡¯s arms. ¡°I¡¯m going to kill you, Frank! It¡¯s better that we die together!¡±


    She howled and continued screaming even after her throat went hoarse. Trysta¡¯s mother was scared and tried to snap her out of her reverie. ¡°Trysta! Trysta!¡±


    She then turned to her mother and yelled, ¡°Who¡¯s Trysta? Who? I¡¯m not Trysta! I¡¯m not! Trysta¡¯s dead! She¡¯s dead!¡± Her expression looked as though she was about to rush out and murder someone.


    Amber was almost unable to restrain her, but her father responded quickly, rushing over to also stop her. He was stronger than Amber, and the three of them fell off of the bed together.


    Trysta was unable to break free from their grapple, and resorted to howling out like before. In the end, Amber had to roll up her sleeves. ¡°Are you quite finished yet?!¡±


    Her sudden outburst shocked Trysta¡¯s parents, and Trysta¡¯s mother even weakly tugged at her in protest. Amber ignored her, continuing to stare at Trysta. ¡°Yes, Trysta¡¯s dead! Killed by Frank, that murderer! So are you going to go crazy because of that? Who¡¯s going to benefit from this?¡±


    ¡°Trysta, I¡¯m telling you, Frank isn¡¯t dead. He¡¯s living happily and well. Even if you go crazy or die, he¡¯ll still live well. After a few years, he¡¯ll once again get together with another woman. Either way, the two of them will go on to lead a happy life.¡±


    ¡°Are you satisfied with things turning out this way? To admit defeat like this? To give everything you have up to someone else? If you¡¯re willing, then alright, I¡¯ll satisfy you. If you want to die, then I¡¯ll stab you. If you want to go crazy, then we have spots open at our hospital. And even if we didn¡¯t, I¡¯d leave you a spot!¡±


    Trysta¡¯s throat had long gone hoarse from yelling, and now, when she was provoked, she couldn¡¯t say a single word. So, Amber¡¯s voice easily dominated over hers.


    She started yelling again, and Amber let her, only hugging her tightly and preventing her from moving. The three of them, Amber and Trysta¡¯s parents, were prepared this time and handily suppressed her.


    Amber thought that Trysta would do what she did before, yell until she lost her voice. Then, without any other alternative, they would have to send her to the hospital. She didn¡¯t expect that this time, Trysta actually gradually calmed down before finallyying her head against Amber¡¯s shoulder and crying miserably.

 Chapter 146. HAS OWN DIFFICULTIES

    Trysta cried as she copsed, but not very loudly, possibly because she wasn¡¯t physically capable of making that much noise at this point. But when Amber heard her soft sobs, she knew that Trysta had truly woken up this time.


    She put her hand on Trysta¡¯s back and slowly patted her, letting her cry her heart out.


    When Trysta finished crying, Amber could see that Trysta had truly calmed down. Next, Amber had Trysta¡¯s parents leave the room before closing the door, leaving only herself and Trysta in the room.


    Amber poured her a ss of water. ¡°Have some.¡±


    Trysta gulped it down. Her emotions had finally stabilized, but she was still feeling a bit dazed andcking her usual quick wittedness.


    Trysta remained in that state for quite a while before she seemed to jolt awake. She quickly covered her face as sheughed bitterly. ¡°Amber, why was I so dumb? Why didn¡¯t I notice anything? She said that she wanted to be my bridesmaid, and I even agreed. Ha, she didn¡¯t want to be my bridesmaid! She just wanted to stand by his side in front of everyone! But I was so stupid that I agreed!¡±


    Amber was stunned speechless by Trysta¡¯s words.


    A bridesmaid, and even someone who could provoke Trysta into madness. Amber had a good idea who Frank¡¯s illicit lover was.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    Trysta had once even wanted to help that homewrecker get together with Calvin. Given Trysta¡¯s pride and arrogance, how could she not go crazy from anger?


    Her best friend and her newlywed husband. Why did her life have to be filled with so much drama?


    Trysta gritted her teeth furiously. ¡°Why couldn¡¯t he be with someone else? Anyone else! Why her?¡±


    Amber silently listened on as Trysta kept ranting. Only when Trysta¡¯s emotions started deteriorating did she interrupt. ¡°I remember that you once said that a man who could be enticed away wasn¡¯t your man. If he¡¯s not yours, then why would you be upset over him?¡±


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t understand at all!¡± Trysta looked at her with red eyes. ¡°You¡¯ve always excelled in everything you¡¯ve done. It would have been fine if all you did was leave us in the dust in school alone, but you even have the same capability with men.


    Calvin, Ian Axton ¡­ after losing one, you still had another. Both are wonderfully talented men, and you¡¯d be happy no matter whom you ultimately chose. How could someone like you understand me?¡±


    Actually, Amber was wondering why she had to have a man at all. She didn¡¯t expect that Trysta¡¯s unrestrained appearance was actually just a facade. But she couldn¡¯t say this, as Trysta¡¯s emotions were about to go haywire again.


    Instead, Amber quickly said, ¡°I can understand you.¡± She looked at her friend, who had almost gone crazy due to love, asplicated emotions filled her gaze. ¡°It¡¯s just that I don¡¯t want to talk about my difficulties. You¡¯re right. Calvin¡¯s a good man, and I¡¯ve liked him for many years.


    Didn¡¯t you use to always ask me why I didn¡¯t look for a boyfriend? It¡¯s because I felt that no one was better than Calvin, and that no one understood me better than him!


    When he first returned, I thought that it was a miracle brought about by fate. I ignored my instinct and disregarded the timing and recklessly confessed to him.


    But then, a few dayster, a girl came up to me and told me that she and Calvin were already in a rtionship, and that the one he loved wasn¡¯t the me of the present! She even sent me photos of Calvin acting intimate with other girls, and when I sent them to him, his response was that he had been set up.


    Do you know how disappointed I felt? Even if he had frankly said that he had fallen in love with her, it would have been better! When Iter suggested breaking up, he didn¡¯t show a single sign of wanting to fix the rtionship! As for me, I had to hold myself back as I didn¡¯t want to ruin my name as a psychiatrist.


    I didn¡¯t even dare to curse him or shed a tear. Instead, I had to force a smile onto my face and say, ¡®Ah, it must be fate. Please bravely seek true love! I¡¯ll give you my blessings!''¡±


    Trysta looked at Amber, shocked.


    Amber continued pouring out her feelings. ¡°As for Ian ¡­ I don¡¯t love him, so no matter how good he is, what good cane out of it?¡±


    When she said, ¡°I don¡¯t love him,¡± Amber felt a trace of difort surface in her heart, but she forcibly repressed this feeling.


    After telling her whole story, she looked at Trysta and concluded, ¡°Do you understand now? I¡¯m also suffering, and also feeble. Even worse, when a disaster befalls you, you can vent and go crazy, but I can¡¯t.


    I can¡¯t because I¡¯m afraid of losing my job, and even more afraid that I¡¯ll provoke the other party enough to be my patient. Then, I would even have to treat his illness, and having to deal with that ¡­ honestly, it¡¯s too terrible. I don¡¯t want to live that kind of life.¡±


    ¡°Ha!¡± Trysta couldn¡¯t help augh from slipping out, and as soon as she did, she hugged Amber again. She was still crying as she said, ¡°Amber, I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t expect that you would also have to deal with these things.¡±


    Amber sighed, and then rxed.


    Comparing misfortunes really wasn¡¯t a good thing, but it was a very useful method to ease patients, psychologically speaking.


    Compared to someone else¡¯s misery, especially an outstanding person¡¯s, one¡¯s own misfortunes usually didn¡¯t look so bad after all.


    Trysta seemed like she had truly recovered. After she cleaned herself up, she was once again the intelligent and capable eldest daughter of the Wilson family.


    The only signs of her previous condition was her still-hoarse voice and puffy eyes. Thus, she temporarily didn¡¯t want to see anyone.

 Chapter 147. TRYSTA’S MENTAL ILLNESS

    Amber went out and ryed Trysta¡¯s desire. Trysta¡¯s father and the others didn¡¯t mind, as Amber¡¯s professionalism had already convinced them that she would be able to appease Trysta.


    He only asked, ¡°Does this mean that Trysta¡¯s recovered?¡±


    ¡°I still have to observe her for a bit more.¡±


    The Wilson family became anxious at her uncertainty, and Trysta¡¯s mother eyed her nervously. ¡°What happened to her?¡±


    Amber¡¯s voice was calm as she reassuringly replied, ¡°It hasn¡¯t been long since the onset of her mental condition, and given how rapidly it developed, it¡¯s very likely that it¡¯s an acute but brief issue. As for the specifics, we have to watch over her. The best thing to do would be to get her a checkup at the hospital.¡±


    This time, Trysta¡¯s father didn¡¯t object.


    ¡°When?¡±


    They didn¡¯t want something like this to ever happen again; it felt like they had lost ten years of their life in just a couple days.


    ¡°I¡¯ll convince her to go with me. But afterwards, Mr. and Mrs. Wilson, you might have to keep an eye on her and have regr talks with her to stabilize her mentality.¡±N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    This sort of rapid-onset mental illness was usually rooted in external causes. And although the mental condition would develop rapidly, if it was handled well, then the patient would recover just as quickly.


    However, the most important to be aware of were the aftereffects. Amber was worried that even if Trysta recovered, she would wind up doing something extreme.


    But she couldn¡¯t mention this sort of worry at the moment, as all she could do was help her family steer her towards the light.


    After grappling with the mad Trysta for so long, Trysta¡¯s parents had be exhausted. But they still had to go back and discuss what to do about Trysta and Frank¡¯s marriage, even though the two had married out of love, they had only been in a rtionship for a few years, and the two families had already received quite a few benefits from each other. Thus, it wouldn¡¯t be easy for the two to get a divorce, especially considering the fact that Trysta was now pregnant.


    But Amber ignored all of this. After sending Trysta¡¯s family away, she reentered the room. Trysta was currently sitting by the head of the bed, with her gaze directed away as she thought about something that Amber couldn¡¯t discern.


    Upon seeing Amber enter, she softly asked, ¡°Rapid-onset mental condition?¡±


    Amber hadn¡¯t deliberately lowered her voice when she was speaking to Trysta¡¯s family outside, and Trysta had easily heard her words by leaning against the door.


    Amber didn¡¯t try to hide it from Trysta and nodded affirmatively. Then, she sat down in front of her and casually said, ¡°When regr people are overwhelmingly stimted by their surroundings, they often experience this sort of thing, though in varying levels of severity.


    In a xianxia novel, they would call it something like falling into an illusion, oh rather, more like fighting against your inner demons. There¡¯s nothing to be upset about-you just have to slowly and steadily walk out of it.¡±


    Trysta looked at Amber, her expression looking like she was about tough and cry at the same time. Only after a while did she cover up her face and finally say, ¡°Heh, illusion ¡­ that does seem to be the case.¡±


    She put down her hands again. The corners of her eyes were still wet, but she was smiling now. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that Dr. Camille would be familiar with the world of xianxia novels.¡±


    ¡°Yup, I know a little about it.¡±


    Trystaughed again.


    Amber didn¡¯tugh. Instead, she clutched Trysta¡¯s hands and lightly squeezed her fingers. Trysta gradually rxed and unclechened her hands, letting Amber knead and pinch them.


    The house was iparably quiet. After a while, Trysta said, ¡°You and Calvin ¡­ honestly, I feel like the two of you were ipatible from the very beginning.¡±


    Amber¡¯s heart warmed up slightly. ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s too weak and unable to protect you.¡±


    Amber smiled radiantly. ¡°I don¡¯t need his protection ¡­ but you¡¯re right. The two of us really aren¡¯tpatible.¡±


    ¡°Forget about him.¡± Trysta stretched her body, ending the conversation. Then, she sat up.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the hospital.¡± Looking back into Amber¡¯s curious gaze, she exined her actions. ¡°Even though I feel like I¡¯m perfectly alright right now, I think that I should listen to you and get a mental checkup at the hospital. An illusion or whatever it was, experiencing it once is enough for me.¡±


    Being able to think like this meant that Trysta really was free from the worst of the problems. But just in case, Amber brought her to the hospital the next day requested.


    After a whole bevy of tests, Amber could finally confirm that Trysta had indeed been suffering from an acute but temporary mental condition. She then prescribed Trysta a couplemon pills.


    ¡°If you feel like you have difficulty breathing or an extremely fast pulse, you can eat some of this. Normally, if you feel your emotions fluctuate wildly, you can also take some, but otherwise, don¡¯t take it.


    Also, because I¡¯ve owed someone money recently, I¡¯ve been quite poor for awhile. Do you want to move in with me for now? I¡¯ll cover food, and rent will be very cheap.¡±


    She wasn¡¯t kidding, Ian had helped her weasel information out of Elly¡¯s teacher and made him tell the truth, but he had spent quite a lot to do so. Amber had established a payment n to fully repay him in installments over a period of twenty years, but each payment was still quite significant.


    In addition, Amber regrly helped her parents with their living expenses, so when she said that she was poor, she really meant it.


    Trystaughed lightly. ¡°Are you afraid that I¡¯ll rpse?¡±


    ¡°No. This is preferential treatment I¡¯m giving to an old ssmate of mine.¡±


    ¡°Alright then,¡± Trysta responded indifferently.


    And so, Trysta ended up living with Amber.


    ***


    The next day, when Ian invited her out on a date, Amber had a brand-new excuse. ¡°I have to take care of a friend, so I can¡¯t go out.¡± She was very sincere in her reply. ¡°It¡¯s also almost time for Lunar New Year. Why don¡¯t you work on your things first, and then we¡¯ll go on a date afterwards?¡±


    Ian didn¡¯t respond to Amber at that time, but after she got home and started making dinner with Trysta, he suddenly showed up.


    He brought flowers, a bottle of wine, and a whole pile of snacks with him. Also, behind him was an unfamiliar young man ¡­.

 Chapter 148. KISS ME ONCE

    Ian didn¡¯t respond to Amber at that time, but after she got home and started making dinner with Trysta, he suddenly showed up.


    He brought flowers, a bottle of wine, and a whole pile of snacks with him. Also, behind him was an unfamiliar young man.


    ording to Ian, it was someone from a big family. Trysta knew of him, but Amber hadn¡¯t even heard his name before.


    After all, she wasn¡¯t well connected with high society.


    Nevertheless, Amber was still rtively surprised that Ian had brought anyone over at all. She even thought that this was a possible sign that he was recovering from his mental disorder and had made a new friend.


    But unexpectedly, after Ian introduced hispanion, he looked directly at Trysta and said, ¡°I¡¯m introducing him specifically to you. His background, character, education, and intellect are all superior to Frank¡¯s.¡±


    Upon hearing Ian¡¯s distasteful words, Amber barely stopped herself from chasing him out the house with the gifts that he¡¯d brought.


    He even went on to calmly turn his head around and say to that man, ¡°Isn¡¯t she pretty?¡± And then he pointed at Amber. ¡°At least, much better looking than her.¡±


    Amber was speechless at Ian¡¯s brazen behavior.


    Amber was initially a bit disgruntled, but she found Ian¡¯sst statement so funny that she couldn¡¯t help herself from letting out a heartyugh.


    All right, Mr. Axton indeed had some talent to be able to make herugh like that. Exasperated, Amber weed the two of them inside. The friend whom Ian had brought along didn¡¯t show even the slightest hint of embarrassment after Ian¡¯s mortifying introduction.


    Later, behind Ian¡¯s back, he exined his situation to Amber and Trysta. ¡°Actually, I¡¯m here on a mission. My grandmother ¡­ oh, Ian¡¯s grandmother is my mother¡¯s godmother, so I also call her my grandmother. She¡¯s always wanted my brother to invite you to their house, but my brother was never able to do so. And she was apprehensive of randomly showing up in person to invite you over, so she had mee over with my brother.¡±


    He then paused and scratched his head awkwardly as he said, ¡°As for a blind date or whatnot, that was just an excuse toe over.¡±


    He looked at Trysta. ¡°Of course, Ms. Wilson is truly outstanding.¡±


    Trysta naturally knew that he was just being polite, and she coolly smiled back at him and thanked him. ¡°His family seems to truly care for you quite a bit. I feel like Director Axton isn¡¯t a bad choice at all.¡±


    Amber was unable to exin her rtionship with Ian, so she simply smiled, turned around, and went back to cooking. She silently added two more cups of rice to the rice cooker and prepared two additional portions of the other dishes.


    ***


    The four subsequently ate dinner, and, afterwards, with nothing to do and no desire to go out, Ian¡¯s godbrother suggested, ¡°How about we y some cards?¡± He ran downstairs to buy a deck, and the four of them started ying Hearts.


    Amber and Trysta were partners, sitting opposite each other, and Ian and his godbrother sat to Amber¡¯s left and right, respectively. Amber was very lucky at mah jjong and very talented at studying, but at Hearts, she was a total mess.


    Trysta was dragged down by Amber¡¯sck of skill, and the duo were unable to win even a single game. Ashamed by their string of losses, Amber began to count cards.


    At the very end of the next round, Amber and Trysta finally saw a shot at victory. Before ying their remaining two cards, Amber flipped through everyone else¡¯s discarded card piles seriously.


    When she went to inspect Ian¡¯s stack of cards, he suddenly grabbed her hand midway.


    Amber was shocked, and Trysta opened her eyes wide to look at the two of them. Ian¡¯s godbrother stilled for a moment before happily saying, ¡°Good block! We can¡¯t let her check the cards. If we win this round, then we¡¯ll have the overall victory too.¡±Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    Ian ignored him as his gaze was focused solely on Amber. ¡°Kiss me.¡±


    The three, in unison, went, ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you my cards if you do it.¡±


    Ian¡¯s godbrother took a moment to process those words before an expletive ran through his mind.


    After abruptly witnessing a public disy of affection, Ian godbrother¡¯s eyes were about to go blind!


    This effect was especially magnified by the fact that Ian and Amber had behaved pretty coolly toward each other during the rest of the night. But just when the other two were beginning to suspect that they weren¡¯t an actual couple, their eyes had been struck by an overwhelming re of sappiness.


    ¡®My goodness! Who was it that said Ian didn¡¯t know how to pick up girls?!¡¯


    Even as all these thoughts raced through the two bystander¡¯s heads, Ian continued to hold Amber¡¯s hand and look at her with a cool expression. It was as if all he had merely said was something like, ¡°Quickly y your cards. I can¡¯t wait.¡±


    A crack had appeared on Amber¡¯s detached veneer, but she was at least used to his antics by now, and could quickly adapt to his erratic behavior.


    At times, she could even act in concert with him and reply appropriately, like now. She firmly wrenched her hand out of Ian¡¯s grasp and then warned him seriously, ¡°Next time, don¡¯t say it so suddenly.¡± She looked at the other two. ¡°You¡¯ll scare the little children.¡±


    The two little children were speechless.


    Ian¡¯s godbrother pped the table angrily. ¡°Keep ying, keep ying! Don¡¯t go easy on them!¡±


    He was one of those people who turned very serious when ying games, Amber naturally followed suit. Thest two cards in her hand were enough to give her and Trysta a strong finish, allowing them to eke out an arduous and timely victory against Ian and his godbrother.


    Amber started to y more seriously, and the luck of the draw slowly started favoring her more and more. One full deck of cardssted them the entire night; Amber and Trysta eventually ended up losing by two games, so they only had to pay up 100 dor per person, which was about the cost of a round of drinks.


    Except for Ian, the other three were quite tired after the game, and even Trystamented, ¡°Losing these 100 dor was quite difficult.¡±


    Ian¡¯s godbrother gave her a supercilious look. ¡°Then you should¡¯ve admitted defeat earlier.¡±


    ¡°How could I do that? A defeat has to be glorious! With the way you do things, would you be excited even if you won?¡± Trysta¡¯s words seemed to have a hidden meaning. Amber¡¯s eyelids twitched, and she looked towards her.


    But Trysta¡¯s smile was casual, as if she were just discussing the game.

 Chapter 149. SHAMELESS PERSON

    As the two bantered back and forth, they all looked toward Ian, who was sorting the cards meticulously. He moved them one at a time, neatly and tidily, and even smoothed out the corners that had be somewhat creased during the game.


    The other three were somewhat impressed by his meticulousness, and for a moment, all conversation paused as everyone watched his thin and slender fingers pick out the cards one at a time. Only when he finished everything did they breathe out simultaneously.


    Ian¡¯s godbrother said, ¡°It¡¯s already quitete, so we¡¯re going to go back now. Brother, you ¡­ are heading back?¡±


    Ian nodded, put the sorted cards in the middle of the table, and stood up.


    Ian¡¯s godbrother looked at Trysta, swallowed the words ¡°you could stay¡± down, and then once again reiterated Ian¡¯s grandmother¡¯s request. ¡°Ms. Camille, if you¡¯re free, then you shoulde to our house and y some time.¡± Then, with a frustrated look at Ian, he muttered to himself, ¡°Now that I¡¯ve broached the topic, why aren¡¯t you inviting her and setting up a time?!¡±Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    All he¡¯d done today was tease her just now. And then ¡­ nothing?


    But Ian didn¡¯t even look at him. He was calmly putting on his shoes, and only when he finished did he stand up and look at Amber. His worrying godbrother thought that he was finally about to extend her an invitation. However, he simply leaned down slightly until his face was right in front of Amber¡¯s, and then lightly licked her lips. ¡°Goodbye.¡±


    And that was it. He left.


    The other three found them shocked speechless yet again.


    Even long after Ian and his friend had left, Trysta was stillughing.


    Although it was a good thing that Trysta couldugh after her hardships, thisugh hadsted far too long for Amber, and she was getting exasperated. ¡°Haven¡¯t youughed enough?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡± She startedughing again, and even as sheughed, she said, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Director Axton to be so interesting.¡± She put her face in front of Amber¡¯s. ¡°Why don¡¯t you like him?¡±


    Trysta wasn¡¯t stupid, and she could see that while Amber treated Ian indulgingly and leniently, it was devoid of a woman¡¯s romance when she interacted with her beloved.


    Of course, it was also possible that Amber was just hiding her affection, like what she had done towards Calvin. Who could have noticed that she had liked him that much?


    Amber pondered the question briefly. ¡°Perhaps I will,ter.¡±


    But right now, she couldn¡¯t and wouldn¡¯t dare to.


    A patient suffering from emotional detachment who had never developed feelings for anyone even at this age, who had just met someone whom he didn¡¯t detest ¡­ Amber felt that Ian¡¯s feelings were very likely just a temporary flood of emotions.


    Trysta didn¡¯t know what was going through her mind, and was even under the impression that Amber was opening up to that possibility. She couldn¡¯t help but chuckle as she said, ¡°Yes, you definitely will in the future.¡±


    ***


    ying cards had been surprisingly taxing on the brain, and both of them were mentally exhausted. After exchanging a few more words, they went to clean themselves up before going to bed.


    Amber thought that Trysta would sleep more soundly that night, and didn¡¯t make her take any medicine to calm her emotions. What she didn¡¯t expect was that, in the middle of the night, Trysta suddenly told her, ¡°Amber, I¡¯m going back tomorrow.¡±


    The shock instantly cleared her mind as Amber turned to face Trysta.


    Trysta had been sleeping by her side, but her eyes were currently wide open. Amber couldn¡¯t tell if she had just woken up or if she had never fallen asleep in the first ce.


    She inspected Trysta for a brief moment. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t avoid this situation forever.¡± Sheughed emotionlessly as she continued, ¡°I want to deal with this matter as quickly as I can. If it drags on ¡­.¡±


    She then lightly caressed her stomach as her eyes drooped. ¡°It would be bad for the child, and for me too. I¡¯ve wasted enough of my time on a piece of garbage.¡±


    Her words were logical, and even though Amber knew that her mental condition might not have fully recovered, Amber couldn¡¯t forcibly keep her here. ¡°Then get a daily check-up at the hospital, or at least call me daily, alright?¡±


    Trysta smiled back. ¡°You¡¯re this worried about me?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Trysta smiled and obediently nodded.


    ***


    Trysta¡¯s brothers and parents all came to fetch her the next morning. Amber told each of them about the doctor¡¯s instructions; she¡¯d originally thought that, after Trysta¡¯s nervous breakdown earlier, the Yuval family would be scared of her and would ept a divorce, even if the pregnancy made things a littleplicated.


    But Frank was actually unwilling to ept a divorce.


    Not only was he unwilling, but he even called Amber in his desperation. ¡°Can you help me change Trysta¡¯s mind? She¡¯s the one I truly love, and ever since I married her, I¡¯ve never wanted a divorce.¡±


    Amber couldn¡¯t even think of a proper response.


    Truth be told, Amber really wanted to look him in the face and say, ¡°I¡¯ve never seen a more shameless person!¡± But as a professional, she had to maintain a certain level of propriety, so she couldn¡¯t reply so bluntly.


    Instead, she asked, ¡°Then, why did you have an affair?¡±


    ¡°That was all before the marriage ¡­.¡±


    ¡°Before the marriage? So, while you and Trysta were dating?¡±


    Frank then used the all-purpose phrase that every man used to push the me away after sinning. ¡°She was the one who seduced me!¡±


    ¡°She was the one who seduced me!¡± and ¡°I was framed!¡±


    To Amber, these words were even more loathsome and detestful than ¡°I made a mistake that all men make¡±.


    Without a second thought, she immediately responded, ¡°Just because she seduced you, you fell for it? Are you a fish? Even fish know how to spit out bait after they realize their mistake! As for you, not only did you just bite down even more, but you even got the other party pregnant! Frank, you ¡­!¡±


    Considering that he was still married to Trysta, Amber felt that it wasn¡¯t quite appropriate to call him ¡°worse than livestock¡±, and tried very hard to restrain herself.


    ¡°The most important things in life are work and love. In both these cases, people have to learn to master their own emotions in order to avoid hurting important people and making mistakes.


    There are two ground rules: they can¡¯t take money obtained through illicit means, and they can¡¯t take emotions that shouldn¡¯t have been offered to them. And since you took those illicit emotions, then you should deal with the resulting consequences.


    Rather than tormenting yourself with your tattered rtionship, just break off ties with Trysta instead.


    ¡°Trysta isn¡¯t a weakling. The reason she was so mad that she went insane was not because she loved you that deeply, but rather that she hated herself. So you¡¯d better note pining after her, or something that we can¡¯t even imagine might happen.¡±


    As harsh as it sounded, Amber was giving Frank her earnest advice. When Trysta left, she had seemed calm, but the emotions that were boiling right beneath the surface. Amber was honestly scared of them.


    Unfortunately, Frank didn¡¯t listen, and his fate was tragic.

 Chapter 150. THE FAMILY MEAL

    All this time, Frank had thought that Trysta still loved him, the prodigal son who was nevertheless epted by his family, someone who disgusted outsiders but thought of his own actions as moving andpassionate.


    Amber hadn¡¯t interacted with him that often, and she only knew him to be somewhat shallow and superficial. However, she didn¡¯t expect that he would actually be so shameless. Since he wouldn¡¯t take her advice to heart, she decisively hung up.


    Some people wouldn¡¯t learn their lesson until something truly catastrophic happened to them.


    On the other hand, Trysta¡¯s condition was steadily improving. From her behavior in the morning alone, everyone thought that she had vented out all of her negative feelings and was feeling hale and hearty again.


    This was the biggest reason why Frank felt that the two of them could get back together; she¡¯d beaten him and scolded him, so naturally, in his mind, she should forgive him.


    But in reality, she hadn¡¯t slept well at all. After an arduous battle to fall asleep, she had been shocked awake by her emotions in the middle of the night. Afterwards, she had stayed up until dawn.


    Sometime during that night, Amber had asked her, ¡°What¡¯re you thinking about?¡±Original content from N?velDrama.Org.


    She drily responded, ¡°Killing people, of course.¡± And then a secondter, ¡°I¡¯m joking. Actually, I¡¯m not thinking of anything, but I just can¡¯t fall asleep.¡±


    But actually, her first sentence was true, and her second false. Even though she wouldn¡¯t actually kill anyone, her heart was still dripping with an untold fury.


    All Amber could do was try her best to enlighten her and prescribe her some mild medication. However, Trysta was pregnant and wasn¡¯t sure about whether or not she wanted to keep the baby, so she had to be very careful about what she consumed.


    Even the medicine that she had been prescribed wouldn¡¯t be good for her inrge doses. Given this situation, Amber was speechless that Frank thought that she would forgive him if he just put in a little bit of effort.


    ***


    Two dayster, it was New Year¡¯s Eve.


    Amber¡¯s vacation only started on the first day of the new year, so she had to work even on New Year¡¯s Eve.


    In the morning, she stayed at home to apany her parents and had a traditional New Year¡¯s Eve meal. Then in the afternoon, she had to return to the hospital to work. Her brother Ruby had it slightly better than her, but he too was only free after the twenty-ninth.


    Since the two of them were both busy, their parents ignored the fact that the new year was supposed to be joyous and festive and instead used their time to nag at Ruby. As soon as they finished their meal, they started talking about how he was old enough to be looking for a girlfriend by now, how if he didn¡¯t, he¡¯d remain single for the rest of his life, and that even his sister was getting married before him.


    Ruby was shocked. ¡°My sister¡¯s dating someone? She¡¯s going to get married?¡±


    And then the subject suddenly shifted to Amber. She was speechless, whereas her parents were smiling even as they grew angry. ¡°Yes, quite. They¡¯ve been together for half a year, or even a year by now. So, are you two nning on getting married at the end of next year?¡±


    Amber was relieved that they had at least left her a year¡¯s buffer, but then she heard her mother continue, ¡°You would always say that the two of you were very, very busy, and so I didn¡¯t nag at you. However, you must have a few days¡¯ leave now that it¡¯s the New Year, right? Talk to his parents so that we can meet them sometime during the fifth to the eighth and have a family meal together.


    Of course, don¡¯t keep mentioning it to Ian. Just remind him once or twice. If he doesn¡¯t arrange it, then he probably doesn¡¯t care that much about you, in which case you should quickly give up on him. In my opinion, that someone¡¯s someone¡¯s son is pretty good, and you can meet up with him on the way back.


    Even if the two of you aren¡¯tpatible, you can still find new friends, and having more friends will broaden your opportunities and stop others from thinking that you¡¯ve unwisely saddled yourself with a burden.¡±


    Amber looked at her own mother, unsure whether she shouldugh or cry.


    Ruby honed in on one particr part of their conversation. ¡°I-Ian? Sis, your boyfriend¡¯s Ian Axton?¡±


    During thesest two months, he had been busy working on an engineering project in the countryside, and truly hadn¡¯t had any time to worry about his sister¡¯s romantic life.


    ¡°No.¡±


    Her mother triumphantly stated, ¡°That¡¯s him!¡± She looked at her daughter, and then unabashedly continued to throw shade at her without restraint. ¡°If you¡¯re unwilling to recognize him as your boyfriend, then stop bringing him home.¡±


    And that was already her holding back to preserve her daughter¡¯s face. After all, the two had already slept together, but for some reason she still wouldn¡¯t admit that he was her boyfriend! Did she want to be known as a promiscuous woman that badly?


    Her own daughter was secretly immoral ¡­ Oh, how Amber¡¯s mother¡¯s heart hurt!


    This time, it was Ruby who was rendered speechless. He looked at his own sister as he said in disbelief, ¡°You even brought him home? You ¡­ damn, you¡¯re moving quite quickly!¡±


    And then his father scolded him without missing a beat. ¡°It¡¯s the new year. Why are you cursing?¡±


    The nagging continued until both their faces were drained and devoid of color, and their parents never stopped talking until Amber had to leave for work once more.


    Ruby obediently offered to send her out, and Amber epted with a smile. The disaster-stricken siblings escaped from their parents¡¯ house as if they were running away from a cmity. As the two hastily walked along towards the hospital, Ruby asked her with some concern, ¡°Is your rtionship with Ian Axton ¡­ real or fake?¡±


    ¡°Fake.¡±

 Chapter 151. UNEXPECTED VISIT

    ¡°Then why did say that you brought him home? And before that, he was even at your ce naked ¡­.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all a big misunderstanding.¡± Amber was much more direct with her brother. ¡°The two of us are in the same boat. At any rate, you have to believe me-you can¡¯t start making a disturbance like mom!¡±


    Having a sister like Amber truly exhausted one¡¯s heart! Ruby shook his head. ¡°If you¡¯re not with him, then don¡¯t act so intimately with him. It¡¯ll cause misunderstandings.¡±


    Amber was surprised that Ruby would make such an insinuation. ¡°Why do you care so much about this?¡±


    It was just an innocent question, but Amber the gulped.


    ¡°What opinion could I even have? It¡¯s just that I feel like you¡¯re not very sincere about this. In fact, your ambiguous statements about your rtionship with him only makes me even more curious. It wouldn¡¯t be bad if you were really in a rtionship, since I could even get some useful connections out of it.¡±


    ¡°Aside from business, is there anything else in your mind?!¡±


    ¡°You, and our parents. Besides money, the three of you are the people I love the most in this world.¡±


    Amber harrumphed. ¡°Actions speak louder than words, and just having a silver tongue won¡¯t save you.¡±


    Ruby chuckled.


    The siblings were extremely close, so close that Amber didn¡¯t even notice the small bit of guilt in hisughter.


    As they talked, they reached the hospital. Amber went to work, and Ruby, not wanting to return home and be nagged at again, said, ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you to finish. Call me when you¡¯re done with work.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to wait for that long? It¡¯s only about noon right now.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll wait for you no matter how long you take.¡± Ruby waved his phone as he continued, ¡°My friends are asking me to go y cards with them. Just let me know in advance when you¡¯re ready to leave.¡±


    Amber nodded, and as Ruby was about to drive away, he got a message on his phone ¡°It¡¯s the new year ¡­ I really didn¡¯t expect that this would still happen in the end. I clearly met you first¡±.


    The tone of the message was so bitter that Ruby¡¯s teeth ached just from looking at it. He nced at his sister standing out the window, cowardly deleted the message, threw his phone to the side, and summarily left without another word.


    His phone was thrown into a corner of the passenger seat, so he didn¡¯t see the following message ¡°He sees you in broad daylight, but I can only hide in a corner¡±.


    The car drove away. It was still early in the day, but there were already the sounds of fireworks in the air. As that weak light from the phone, along with that line of text, slowly faded from view, silence reigned once again.


    Amber was only able to say, ¡°Be careful,¡± before Ruby¡¯s car rapidly drove out of sight. She shook her head in annoyance as she walked up the stairs to the hospital, her hand carrying her lunch box. When her colleagues saw her, they rapidly swarmed her. ¡°What food did you bring us?¡±


    ¡°Dr. Camille is the only one who remembers that we¡¯re here.¡±Original content from N?velDrama.Org.


    Everyone happily dug in as Amber looked through the day¡¯s records. As she flipped through the pages, a nurse came up to her. ¡°Oh, I forgot to tell you, Dr. Camille, your boyfriend came over to visit Elly.¡±


    Amber was a bit surprised, and immediately put down the records and walked over to Elly¡¯s ward. When she reached the corridor, she saw a man wearing a windbreaker.


    It was Calvin, not Ian.


    At the same time that she realized the visitor¡¯s identity, she also realized, somewhat shockingly, that she had started tacitly considering Ian as her boyfriend in her heart.


    As a psychiatrist, Amber was very clear on what epting Ian as her boyfriend in her heart represented, while not necessarily love, it meant on some level that she had acknowledged him.


    She had been too overconfident about treating Ian¡¯s illness with her rtionship strategy, and now, she had be embroiled in this whole affair.


    Amber caressed her forehead as she stopped in ce with a somewhat bewildered expression on her face. By that time, Calvin had already turned around and was looking at her.


    She could only steel her expression and walk over.


    ¡°Happy New Year,¡± he said with a smile.


    ¡°Happy New Year.¡±


    Beyond the standard greetings, there weren¡¯t many other words for the two of them to exchange. Calvin awkwardly said, ¡°Since it¡¯s the new year, I came to check on how she¡¯s doing.¡±


    The two of them then turned to the window together to look at Elly. She was doing much better than before. Although her thoughts were still somewhat chaotic and disordered from time to time, and although she still didn¡¯t like bright environments, she was already able tomunicate normally with the people she was familiar with.


    And she had also picked up her old hobbies again. Today, there were constantly fireworks and firecrackers going off in the streets outside, and the loud noise drew almost all the patients to their windows. But Elly remained in her bed, just drawing very seriously under the littlemp by her bed.


    Of course, her drawing posture was still very different from the norm. She gripped her pen forcefully, and her expression was always somewhat fierce, as if she were venting her emotions rather than creating a piece of art.


    ¡°She¡¯s much better now, as she can already hold a normal conversation with people and think for herself. However, her recovery process still has a crucial hurdle that she has yet to ovee-she has to restore her personality and to properly understand and ept her past. In other words, she has to face reality.¡±


    Once Elly regained her personality, she would naturally start recovering and move towards a healthy mindset; but if she didn¡¯t, then she might very well rpse and degenerate into her previous state. Elly¡¯s past was, without question, filled with pain and hardship.


    She was already fifteen, but her life was almostpletely devoid of normal kinship or love. Her memories were filled with constant fear of being harmed and frightening humiliation, so Amber had to be very careful, slow, and methodical about how she approached her mental condition.


    ¡°Before we start trying to bring her personality back, I¡¯d like to try my best to establish a familiar and stable environment around her until she feels sufficiently secure. For this reason, there may be a period of time during which her family will be unable to directly meet with her.¡±

 Chapter 152. THE GIFT, PLEASE ACCEPT IT

    In truth, bringing a patient¡¯s personality back usually worked better with more family members around, and this was the reason why she had initially wanted Calvin to visit Elly more often.


    Unfortunately, before any kinship could develop between the two of them, all kinds of things had happened between him and Amber. To express his stance towards Amber, he had avoided visiting Elly for quite a while, and was naturally unable to be of any help now.


    The words ¡°patient¡¯s family members¡± caught Calvin somewhat off guard. He turned to properly look at Amber. She was wearing a white doctor¡¯s coat, her hands were in her pockets, and her tone and expressions were calm and natural, as if she were talking to a stranger.


    Her countenance had no trace of sadness, anger, disappointment, or loss. She was truly treating him as just another patient¡¯s family member.


    She had recovered so quickly that it seemed as if there had never been anything between them at all. It was as if the Amber who had once told him, ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for you to tell me that you liked me for ten years,¡± in a simple but bright alleyway had never existed.


    Calvin¡¯s heart plunged, and he quickly turned around to shove the emotions rising up to his throat down and recollect himself. ¡°It¡¯s not too bad, just observing her like this.¡±


    ¡®Not as bad as observing you like this.¡¯


    This bitter sentence remained locked tightly in his heart. After onest nce at Elly, he left the hospital.


    ***


    Amber didn¡¯t send Calvin out. She returned to her own office, silently sitting in a daze for quite a while.


    Then, someone knocked on the door, waking her from her reverie. Dr. Susan walked in. ¡°Why¡¯re you in a daze?¡±


    ¡°I was thinking about my patients¡¯ affairs.¡± Amber smiled upon seeing the bags in her hands. ¡°Why are you here? Are you also on duty today?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m all alone, remember? So, I might as well help out my colleagues who do have families and mouths to feed,¡± Susan flippantly replied as she set the bag down in front of her. ¡°I rmend you try some. It¡¯s a morning¡¯s worth ofbor.¡±


    Amberughed as she opened the bag. Inside were a few boxes of small biscuits of various colors, wonderfully pretty.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯d be perfect as a snack for afternoon tea. Wait a moment. I¡¯ll go brew some coffee.¡±


    The hospital wasn¡¯t too busy today; even the normally very busy gynecology department was more or less empty, which was why Susan had the time toe over and chat. As the two rxed, they leisurely sampled the biscuits that Susan had made.


    In the middle of their downtime, Trysta called Amber, saying that she couldn¡¯te in today, but that she was feeling calm and stable. However, Trysta¡¯s tone sounded a bit like she was trying to curry favor with Amber, it was quite a bit cuter than her usual.


    But Amber couldn¡¯t forget about how Trysta had nonchntly said, ¡°I want to kill people.¡± The more adorable Trysta acted, the more worried Amber became.


    When she hung up, Amber couldn¡¯t help but sigh. Susan casually asked, ¡°Your patient?¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡±


    ¡°Is she difficult to treat?¡±


    ¡°Somewhat.¡± And then Amber couldn¡¯t help herself from adding on, ¡°Actually, from a doctor¡¯s perspective, the hardest thing to deal with isn¡¯t a rare or difficult illness or something like that. Rather, it¡¯s a patient who¡¯s too clear-headed and too opinionated, someone who confidently acts in a self serving manner.¡±


    Amber wasn¡¯t very lucky, as she had two such patients, Trysta being one of them. Then her phone rang, and she sighed again. ¡°My other trouble is calling as well.¡±


    The one whom Amber had designated as her ¡®other trouble¡¯ was Ian. His first words were, ¡°You¡¯re at the hospital?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    And then he hung up. Susan raised her eyebrows. ¡°Just that?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Amber stood up. ¡°Our afternoon tea session has to end here. I¡¯m sorry, but I have to go out for a moment.¡±


    And then, before Susan could react, Amber ran off. Susan tried to follow her, but only saw a vanishing silhouette running down the stairs.


    Amber quickly ran down two floors and then pressed all the elevator buttons. It was probably because it was New Year¡¯s Eve, but there were quite a number of delivery workers riding the elevators. Only on the third try did Ian appear.


    When he saw her, he first looked at the floor number on the elevator before raising his eyebrows at her.


    Amber didn¡¯t even need him to say anything to be at a loss for words.


    She looked at the people by his side, who were each carrying a huge bundle of something, and then took a deep breath. ¡°Did you bring all these people with you?¡±


    Ian nodded, and she pulled all of them out. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but please go back. Go back to where you came from, thank you.¡±


    Ian watched as she bustled about. And when she had finally chased everyone out, he smiled at her, still in the elevator. ¡°Did you think that would be effective? Some people are already upstairs.¡±Original content from N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    ¡®So all those delivery workers she had seen earlier were his people?!¡¯


    In the end, Amber became famous in the hospital once again, her mysterious nouveau riche suitor sent her an entire feast on New Year¡¯s Eve. It was so much food that even all of her colleagues in the psychiatry department couldn¡¯t finish it. They had to invite all the hospital workers over to help, and only then did everyone witness their plight.


    In truth, everything had been sent over by Ian¡¯s grandparents, who were concerned that Amber had to work even on New Year¡¯s Eve. So naturally, they had tofort her with food and drinks.


    But Amber wasn¡¯tforted; instead, she was somewhat incensed as she dragged Ian outside.


    ¡°I have to work, so I have no choice but to ept your good intentions. But with that, you can go back now.¡± She pushed him into his car forcefully, a rare thing for her.


    ¡°But I haven¡¯t given you my present yet.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve received all that just now.¡± Even though she had been forced to do so.


    ¡°That¡¯s not from me. That¡¯s from my grandparents.¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    She beat her chest in frustration. ¡°Then what do you want to give me? Let me make this clear. I don¡¯t want food, tools, or any flowers, because storing them and dealing with them is very troublesome.¡±


    Ian nodded obediently.


    ¡°Then give it to me.¡± She stretched out her hand.


    Ian rested his head against the window with one palm supporting his lower jaw as he looked at her. ¡°Are you sure that you want to receive it here?¡±


    Under the dim yellow glow of the streetlights, his calm and indifferent expression was unusually handsome, but it only gave Amber a very bad premonition.


    After rethinking the situation, she decisively said, ¡°Go to my house first, and I¡¯ll be there shortly.¡±


    This ¡®shortly¡¯ ended up being quite long, because when Amber returned to her department, she received an unprecedented wee. Even the head nurse, who was on leave, called her toment on the situation. ¡°How¡¯s your boyfriend going to feel when he hears of this?¡±


    Yes, they all still thought that Calvin was her boyfriend.


    Her head hurt.


    Amber felt that this New Year was going to be a horrendous mess, but the truly aggravating incident had yet toe. When she finally got home, she encountered a naked Ian sitting on the sofa with just a nket to cover himself.


    At least he had prepared a nket for himself, but he had also redecorated her living room. It was quite the sight to behold, adorned withrge swathes of red ribbons, the hue so vibrant that it hurt her eyes.


    While she stared at the scene open-mouthed, he pulled off his nket and presented his stark naked body to her. ¡°This gift, please ept it.¡±


    He even dared to act demurely!!

 Chapter 153. YOUR FACE IS RED

    Despite feeling shocked, Amber continued to shamelessly ogle Ian¡¯s exposed body. After letting the nket fall, his stark naked body was on full disy. Therge and rough red nket contrasted strikingly with his white and smooth skin. Additionally, his body was perfectly proportioned as his toned muscles rippled, giving off a sense of strength; when hey down, the smooth contours of his body were so beautiful that it should have been illegal.


    After just one nce, Amber couldn¡¯t stay angry-it was already taking all she had to stop herself from salivating! My goodness, this was the first time Amber ever realized just how much she could be attracted to the human body!


    She walked over and quickly covered up his whole body with the nket as she said in a concerned tone, ¡°The heater isn¡¯t on, so don¡¯t get cold.¡± She then rubbed the nket between her fingers. ¡°This nket is really high quality! Did you bring it over?¡±


    She simply didn¡¯t know what to say.


    But Ian didn¡¯t let her off the hook just yet. As his gaze swept past her face, hemented, ¡°Your face is red. Oh, the tips of your ears arepletely red.¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    ¡°Are you embarrassed?¡±


    ¡®You don¡¯t have to say it out loud just because you can see it, you know?¡¯ Amber flew into a rage as her embarrassment peaked, grabbed Ian¡¯s head, and started fiercely kneading her frustrations out. Afterwards, when he was left in a daze, she defiantly said, ¡°Yes, my face is red. Are you satisfied?¡±


    Ian actually didn¡¯t avoid her this time, and cidly let her knead his face. He watched Amber¡¯s face turn an even deeper shade of red before bursting out in a fit ofughter.


    Thisugh was more hurtful than any words he could have said, and Amber¡¯s face became ming red. ¡°What on earth are you trying to do? Whose terrible idea was this?¡±


    Ian was very direct. ¡°You seemed to like it.¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    Ian didn¡¯t expect that Amber¡¯s reaction would be this extreme, though he very much liked seeing her blushing face. During the entire time they had known each other, she had always treated him gently and leniently, but rarely ever intimately; even if he teased her, she mostly reacted in a speechless or exasperated manner. But her behavior today made him feel like he had unexpectedly pushed open an unknown door and found a huge reward behind it.


    Since Amber was unable to defeat Ian in an argument, she could only scurry away and threw out a weak ¡°Put your clothes back on¡± before retreating into the washroom to calm down.


    Amber stared at her own image in the mirror, seeing for the first time what she looked like when she lost her self-control: her face was flushed scarlet, like blood, and her expression couldn¡¯t hide her inappropriate thoughts at all. Her gaze was distant, and her mind woozy-it was filled with the image of that beautiful white flesh!


    She herself didn¡¯t understand why her reaction was so extreme. Compared to doctors from other disciplines, psychiatrists had far less opportunity to inspect or even dissect the human body, but they still saw their fair share of them. After all, when their patients went crazy, quite a number of them would strip naked and then shamelessly run all over the ce!


    The only exnation was that she had been teased too much by her colleagues at work, and those repeated hints had amplified the effects of seeing such a beautiful nude body. All right, as long as she understood why she had lost control of herself, that was enough.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    ¡®You¡¯d better ignore the rest!¡¯ Amber warned herself mentally as she sshed some cold water onto her face. The tap water in winter was bitingly cold, almost like ice, and the effect of the nearly freezing water was unexpectedly good, as all the emotions on Amber¡¯s face were washed away.


    When Amber left the washroom and reentered the living room, Ian had already gotten dressed, though he didn¡¯t put on his jacket. His ck trousers covered up his unusually long legs, and as her gaze traveled farther up, it wouldnd upon his white shirt tucked into his trousers.


    He dressed in the same manner that he did all things in-perfectly and meticulously. His clothes were neat and clean, perfectly pressed and without wrinkles, and evenly buttoned up all the way up to his throat.


    When his cool gaze met her¡¯s, even though she had just calmed down, it once again filled Amber¡¯s brain with tantalizing images that weren¡¯t suitable for children.


    ¡®My goodness, his beauty should be illegal!¡¯


    She hurriedly looked away, but then a whole stretch of red filled her vision. She couldn¡¯t help but think that, perhaps for a long time afterwards, she wouldn¡¯t be able to look at anything red the same way again.


    ¡°I¡¯ve received your present, so let¡¯s go.¡± Amber said as she coughed, trying to dispel the atmosphere.


    Ian didn¡¯t move.


    Amber could only ask, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Her tone was pleasant; she would do anything to get him out quicker.


    Of course, if he asked why she received the gift but didn¡¯t use it, she would vehemently respond with something like ¡°What kind of person would send such a gift,¡± punch him in the face, and then pull him out the door while he was still dazed.


    Thankfully, Ian, even after seeing her gaze, didn¡¯t ask such a question, but he still asked one that gave Amber a headache. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to give me anything back?¡± He sounded slightly shocked, and his reason was fair. ¡°Today¡¯s New Year¡¯s Eve.¡±


    Amber could only stuff her indignation down and find him something. She did have some suitable gifts, all of them from Ruby¡¯s recent trip. One of them was a box of twelve little phone ornaments inspired by the Chinese zodiac; the workmanship was beautiful and their surfaces well-polished, making them both beautiful to look at and pleasant to touch.


    Amber had read through Ian¡¯s patient folder, and she remembered his year of birth and naturally also his zodiac animal. Thus, she casually passed a little dragon to him.


    After Ian took it, he ced it in his palm, looked at it curiously, and then lightly put his thumb on the dragon¡¯s head. ¡°What use is this?¡±


    Amber awkwardly replied, ¡°¡­ It¡¯s not very useful. Maybe you can use it as an ornament on your keychain or something like that.¡±


    ¡°Do you have a little snake as well?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Give it to me.


    The snake was Amber¡¯s zodiac animal, but since he wanted it and Amber didn¡¯t mind, she also handed him the snake figurine.


    Ian took it, rubbed his fingers over it, and then took out his keys. He attached the dragon and the snake to his keychain side by side, so that they almost seemed to be kissing.


    Mr. Axton nodded. ¡°They¡¯re symmetric, so they fit well together.¡±


    ¡®Did he know that her zodiac animal was the snake?¡¯ Amber didn¡¯t dare ask, and instead just waved her hands in resignation. ¡°Alright, it¡¯s time for you to leave. I have to go to the hospital.¡±


    She hade back home especially for him, but only received a series of jolting shocks in return.


    But when Amber entered the elevator to leave, she remembered his happiness upon receiving the two little animals, as if he couldn¡¯t bear to part with them, and she felt somewhat sorry. No matter how good the carvings were, they were still too cheappared to all the things he had given her.


    Somewhat guiltily, she said, ¡°The workmanship on those two figurines isn¡¯t that great. If you really like it, then next time, I¡¯ll buy you two even better ones.¡±


    Ian raised his head upon hearing her words. His gaze was still filled with his familiar coldness, but the lifted corners of his eyes clearly told Amber that he wasn¡¯t feeling bad. ¡°Alright,¡± he replied coolly. ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting for it.¡±


    ¡­ She suddenly felt a lot more pressure. What was she going to do?


    Amber deeply regretted how much faster her mouth moved than her mind, but since she had promised, she naturally had to deliver. She was not at all talented in the art of giving gifts, but that was fine, since she had Ruby.

 Chapter 154. TWO-TIMING BASTARD

    Amber worked until midnight, and Ruby didn¡¯t pick up any of her calls. She could only guess that her brother had gotten so engrossed in ying cards that he had forgotten about her. But unexpectedly, half an hourter, he came back to the hospital again.


    He had even run to her department to find her.


    Amber asked, ¡°Where¡¯s your phone?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I don¡¯t know where I lost it,¡± Ruby replied between pants. He patted his left and right pockets before asking, ¡°Can we go now?¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡± The siblings walked out, got into Ruby¡¯s car, and started towards home. As Amber sat in the passenger seat, she looked around for his phone. When she called his number, a ringing sound came out from underneath her butt, and she had to expend a great deal ofbor to fish it out from the little slit that it had fallen into. ¡°You¡¯re too careless ¡­.¡±


    She said to him as she nced at his phone. ¡°You have tens of unread messages.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re probably mostly from Mom.¡± Ruby nced at the screen before continuing to say, ¡°They¡¯re weing the New Year in, so they¡¯re probably still awake right now. Call them back and say that I was fetching you.¡±


    This was the excuse that they had nned. Amber understood him well and didn¡¯t mind helping him, so she unlocked his phone. She knew Ruby¡¯s passcode because he told her each and every passcode and password he had. He waszy and his memory surprisingly poor, so he used her as a backup.


    After she opened his phone, she started maneuvering to look at the missed calls when she identally clicked on one of the unread messages.


    ¡°¡®He sees you in broad daylight, but I can only hide in a corner¡¯ ¡­ Who¡¯s this ¡­ Oh!¡± Ruby abruptly stopped the car, causing Amber to almost fly out of the window.


    Amber didn¡¯t expect that Ruby¡¯s reaction would be so extreme, and was unable to stop him from snatching the phone away.


    ¡°No, what¡¯s the matter?¡± After quite a while, she recovered and looked at him as if she were looking at a headache. ¡°Are you a two timing bastard who¡¯s cheating on someone?¡±


    Ruby was already feverishly inspecting his phone, and only felt a sense of relief wash over him when he confirmed that he¡¯d kept the identity of that person secret, listing the name only as 001 on his phone.This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Then, when he heard his sister¡¯s words, he couldn¡¯t help but want to vomit blood. ¡°Am I that kind of person in your heart?¡±


    Amber harrumphed. ¡°Who knows?! That sentence was very problematic. What did she mean by ¡®He sees you in broad daylight, but I can only hide in a corner?¡¯ It sounds just like a line out of heart-rending drama!


    It¡¯s as if you¡¯ve swindled an innocent naive little girl, who, even though she knows that you already have a girlfriend, couldn¡¯t bear to leave you. And in her grief, she silently became your mistress.


    And whenever she sees you going out with your actual girlfriend, she¡¯s reminded that she can only hide in a corner and sneak nces at you, jealous and hurt.¡±


    As she continued describing the setting in her head, she started to believe her words more and more. ¡°You said that you went out to y cards with a friend, but who knows what you were actually doing? And why was your phone even here?


    You must¡¯ve arranged dates with both of them at the same time, and since you couldn¡¯t go to both at once, you had no other choice but to throw your phone aside!¡±


    She used him with such absolute conviction, it was enough to make Ruby angry enough tough. ¡°You can really make things up!¡±


    He was a proficient liar, unlike Amber. Amber would only lie if she had to, and she even preferred to awkwardly remain silent. Ruby, however, could lie to anyone and everyone without a single hint of guilt or remorse when he did so.


    ¡°Please, stop trying to make me out as some kind of two-timer. The guy who texted me is crazy, and he¡¯s always pestering me endlessly for some reason or another because he thinks that everyone around him is a love rival. Who knows where he saw me, and what kind of craziness he has going on in his mind?¡±


    As he spoke, Amber fixed her gaze on him. His expression was very calm. Back when Amber had been studying psychoanalysis, she had frequently practiced it on him. So, although he couldn¡¯t analyze someone else as shrewdly as she did, he could at least cover up his tells quite well.


    Unfortunately, he was up against Amber.


    After he finished his spiel, Amber said, ¡°Hmm, it doesn¡¯t seem like you¡¯re lying. I¡¯ll believe you.¡±


    Ruby rxed at her cid words. Amber then casually asked, ¡°Did you drive over by yourself yesterday?¡±


    Ruby was flummoxed by the seemingly random question, and he reflexively nodded and answered, saying, ¡°Yup.¡±


    He thought that he had dodged a bullet, but then he suddenly heard Amber say, ¡°You¡¯re lying.¡±


    Ruby automatically rebutted, ¡°What do you mean I¡¯m lying? I clearly drove here alone ¡­.¡± As he continued to look at Amber, he fell silent before bing flustered and exasperated. ¡°Amber, stop doing this to me!¡±


    Amber smiled. ¡°You didn¡¯t deny it, did you? Lying so naturally like that ¡­.¡± As Amber¡¯s words trailed off, she stopped smiling.


    Then, her tone turned severe as she castigated him. ¡°Brother, to me, you¡¯ve always been a good man. I think that you¡¯re a very capable person, so don¡¯t do something that¡¯ll make me look down upon you, okay?


    Earlier, I even had to tell someone else that there were two guiding principles that one should always follow to maintain their humanity: not take money you shouldn¡¯t take, and not reciprocate feelings you shouldn¡¯t reciprocate.


    Loving someone and receiving that person¡¯s love in turn, generously and under broad daylight, is a form of respect to that person, and also a form of respect to yourself.¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright.¡± Once she started morally lecturing him, Ruby couldn¡¯t stand her anymore. In defeat, he mumbled, ¡°I know what I¡¯m doing.¡±


    But he still didn¡¯t confess to anything.


    Amber sighed, wanting to say more. But before she could do so, Ruby started the car and preemptively said, ¡°I¡¯m driving. I can¡¯t be distracted right now, so I can¡¯t talk to you.¡±


    It was a total refusal tomunicate. Helpless, Amber could only ignore him for the moment, taking sce in the thought that she would have a proper chat with himter.


    Later, she would be busy, so busy that she forgot all about this conversation. And when she finally remembered. At that time, Amber would wish that Ruby had merely been a two-timing bastard.

 Chapter 155. I’VE BEEN THINKING OF YOU

    When they returned home, it was already way past midnight, and Amber¡¯s parents had fallen asleep as soon as the new year arrived. Amber herself was simrly exhausted, and fell asleep right after she finished washing up.


    However, despite how tired she was, she started thinking of Ian even as she tried to sleep, the image of his white and wless skin creeping into her mind. She became so gloomy over it that she rolled about a few times in bed, hatefully pounded on her bed, and resolved to herself that, next time, she would tell him again that casually undressing himself and revealing his naked body was too uneptable!


    And so, during the first night of the fresh new year, Dr. Camille, who led a sunny life and rarely had any sexual desires, had a very embarrassing dream. It was almost pornographically obscene, and when she was woken up by her mother in the morning, she almost yelled out, ¡°You hoodlum!¡±


    But as soon as she said, ¡°ho-¡°, she saw her mother¡¯s face and her mind immediately regained some rity. She quickly rolled around in her bed to hide her ming red face.


    A few secondster, she finished the rest of her sentence, saying, ¡°-me! Leave me at home to look after the house. I¡¯m so tired!¡±


    And then her mother ruthlessly pried the nkets off of her.


    She woke up, got dressed, ate, and greeted her rtives. For the first three days of the new year, she had to visit her rtives, dine with them, and entertain them by ying cards with them.


    Amidst all this hustle and bustle, Amber also had to make sure that Trysta was doing fine. She¡¯d been slightly troubled thesest few days, mostly because her pregnancy had reached the stage where it was causing nausea.


    Perhaps it was her turbulent feelings that were exacerbating the degree of her nausea, but regardless of the reason, Trysta threw up almost everything she ate.Original content from N?velDrama.Org.


    Amber very much wanted to drop everything and go visit Trysta, but she was always busy. On the fourth day of the new year, her parents had to host a whole crowd of visitors at their house. In preparation, they had set up quite a few tables for cards, and even took over Amber¡¯s room for the day.


    Amber was forced to y a few rounds of mah jjong with the guests, but was quickly kicked off of the tables for being too ¡°lucky.¡±


    She wasn¡¯t upset at all, and her response was to smile and say, ¡°I¡¯ll go and buy something for everyone to eat!¡± before running out the door to catch a breath of fresh air.


    She went to the supermarket and bought the snacks and drinks that were running low back at the party. As she started walking back with her bags of refreshments, she received a call from Ian. ¡°It¡¯s time for a date.¡±


    Amber was caught off guard. This sort of systematic wooing routine was hard for her to handle, and she tried to say, ¡°I¡¯m busy ¡­.¡± But before she could finish, she felt something hit her foot. When she turned around, she saw that it was Ian¡¯s car, which slowly following behind her.


    He was sitting inside the driver¡¯s seat, his strong jaw supported by the hand holding the steering wheel. The afternoon sunlight was warm and soft, and it framed his calm and cool face with a harmonious sense of peace.


    She dodged aside as his car stopped in front of her.


    ¡°Get in.¡±


    Amber looked at the bags in her hand. ¡°I still have guests at home.¡±


    He got out and said, ¡°Give me a moment,¡± and then entered the supermarket.


    Not long after, he emerged with a whole slew of supermarket employees, all pushing shopping carts filled with various items like fruits, drinks, cigarettes, alcohol, sweets, snacks; all in all, there were three full shopping carts¡¯ worth of food.


    Ian then instructed those people to load everything into his car. Amber felt that something was amiss and cautiously asked, ¡°What are you ¡­ nning on doing?¡±


    He turned around and coolly answered, ¡°Going to your ce.¡± And then he added, ¡°I don¡¯t mind having our date at your home.¡±


    Amber was shocked at his audacity!


    ¡®But I do mind very much, thank you!¡¯


    In her desire to stop him, she entertained the thought of yelling out, ¡°I¡¯ll go out with you!¡± And then they would lug all that food around while they went on a date on the fourth day of the new year.


    By this point, Amber was haggard in both heart and soul. She couldn¡¯t even dredge up the will to speak to him, and just pouted and stared outside the window like a stone statue.


    Then, Ian¡¯s phone rang. She heard him grunt several times before handing the phone to her. ¡°It¡¯s Billy.¡±


    Because it was the start of the new year, Amber couldn¡¯t very well reject it, so she had to stop pouting and ept the phone.


    Billy had naturally called to give her his New Year¡¯s greetings. But after that, he said, ¡°That guy went to your apartment on the second day and stayed there for the entire day. Then, the next day, he dragged me out and made me apany him for half a day.


    I asked him why he didn¡¯t just call you, and he said that you were busy. This is the first time that I¡¯ve ever seen him act so caringly. I feel like I¡¯m talking to another person!¡±


    Amber didn¡¯t pay attention to Billy¡¯s next words. She put the phone down and turned around to look at the man beside her. ¡°You came to my ce on the second?¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡±


    Her voice was somewhat unsteady as she asked, ¡°Because that day was a date day?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± she heard him say with his stereotypical cool voice and cold tone, but with a gentleness that seemed to have been missing previously. ¡°Because I¡¯ve been thinking of you.¡±

 Chapter 156. DANGER

    At this point in Amber¡¯s life, she had received countless love letters, and heard many confessions-she was quite pretty, and her temperament was good; it was normal for her to be a target for many people, all right?


    But those love letters and confessions rarely ever moved her.


    Previously, she had thought that it was because she didn¡¯t love any of the people professing their love to her. However, in this moment, she learned that moving confessions weren¡¯t all that rted with love; rather, it had more to do with the person¡¯s character, with how sincere and earnest their feelings were.


    Even though Ian¡¯s expression was as calm as ever, just that tiny bit of sincerity from him was priceless.


    Because he was suffering from emotional detachment!


    Amber couldn¡¯t speak for a moment, and Ian didn¡¯t say anything either, because he was driving. But he could see that his words had touched Amber. Secretly, he thought to himself that, given her reaction, they could surely progress further in their rtionship tonight, right?


    And so, he narrowed his eyes and happily decided to speed up the progression of their rtionship. Perhaps after they kissed, they would get into bed together or something. But Amber¡¯s next words jerked him out of his fantasies. ¡°Let¡¯s go see Trysta.¡±


    ¡°Hmm ¡­?¡±


    He suspected that he had heard wrongly, but then Amber repeated her words, crisp and clear. ¡°Let¡¯s go see Trysta. She¡¯s responding badly to her pregnancy, vomiting out everything she eats. You should know that she wasn¡¯t feeling great before, and I¡¯m somewhat worried about her.¡±


    This was the first time that Ian had ever been rendered speechless by Amber¡¯s words. He simply could not fathom how his thinking about her and her worrying about Trysta were rted.


    Amber naturally couldn¡¯t read his inner thoughts; she just instinctively felt that staying with him alone like this would be somewhat dangerous. And naturally, the best way to avoid danger was to run into a crowd.


    She even used his earlier words against him. ¡°Weren¡¯t you okay with going to my house? Then you surely wouldn¡¯t mind apanying me to Trysta¡¯s ce, right?¡±


    As she spoke, she slightly tilted her head towards him, purposefully revealing the small dimple on her left cheek that was so cute that it constantly tempted one to poke it. Ian tried to resist but was ultimately unable to do so; he stretched out a finger and poked her cheek lightly. ¡°Did I invite you out so that I could apany you to see someone else?¡±


    Amber smiled and tossed out a rejoinder. ¡°Watching a movie is also seeing someone else.¡±


    ¡­ He couldn¡¯t refute that!


    And so, Ian bedgrudgingly apanied Amber to see Trysta. Because she was still trying to divorce Frank, Trysta was temporarily staying at her parents¡¯ ce. On the fourth day of the new year, most people¡¯s houses would be crowded and festive, but the Wilson family¡¯s was unusually cold and quiet.


    Trysta¡¯s brothers and sisters-inw weren¡¯t home, but Trysta¡¯s parents were. Amber called to let them know beforehand, and when they arrived, she bluntly took two fruit baskets, two boxes of tea leaves, and a few beautifully packaged gift baskets from the pile of stuff that Ian had bought.


    The two of them knocked on the door with their four hands filled with gifts, and when Trysta¡¯s mother opened the door and saw them with their hands full, she was even a bit angry. ¡°There¡¯s no need to be so polite!¡± And then when she saw Ian, who was standing behind Amber, she became slightly shocked. ¡°You¡¯re from the Axton family, aren¡¯t you?¡±Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    Ian was cold, but his behavior and manners were perfect. He nodded calmly. ¡°Yes. It¡¯s nice to meet you.¡±


    It was a very reserved greeting.


    Trysta mother¡¯s gaze flicked back and forth between Amber and Ian a couple times, but in the end, she didn¡¯t ask why the two hade together as Amber was already asking about Trysta¡¯s condition.


    Trysta¡¯s mother sighed remorsefully as she replied, ¡°It would be all right if she was only suffering from nausea. However, she can¡¯t sleep well either.¡± She remained silent for a moment before continuing to say, ¡°The happier she smiles, the more worried I feel. Amber, is Trysta going to recover?¡±


    Amber could onlyfort her. ¡°She¡¯s doing this because she doesn¡¯t want you two to worry. Do you know if she wants to keep the baby?¡±


    Trysta mother¡¯s face became even more worried, and she nced at her husband, who was currently exchanging pleasantries with Ian, before sighing and saying, ¡°We don¡¯t even dare to ask. Rather, we don¡¯t dare to ask anything.¡±


    Amber was silent. She understood Trysta very well; Trysta liked to take care of her affairs by herself, and even if someone asked, they probably wouldn¡¯t receive any meaningful response. That day, if not for her unexpected emotional breakdown, Trysta probably wouldn¡¯t have revealed the existence of a third party in her rtionship with Frank to Amber.


    Amber quickly advised, ¡°Then let¡¯s not ask. It¡¯s just that, Mrs. Wilson, you shouldn¡¯t treat her like a porcin doll. Just treat her normally, as Trysta.¡±


    Ian and Trysta¡¯s father went to drink tea downstairs while Amber went upstairs to check in on Trysta. Once they reached the second floor, Trysta¡¯s mother even softened her footsteps as much as she could, whispering to Amber, ¡°She can¡¯t stand loud noises. She says that they hurt her head.¡±


    Amber¡¯s heart trembled, as sound sensitivity was amon onset symptom for insomnia. Following Trysta mother¡¯s example, she also lightened her footsteps as the two of them gingerly entered Trysta¡¯s room.


    But Trysta wasn¡¯t alone. Amber was extremely surprised to see Sarah sitting on the bed beside Trysta.


    Trysta was very happy to see Amber. A perfunctory nce didn¡¯t reveal anything; she seemed normal, with not even a trace of wanness or sallowness blemishing herplexion-she even had a lightyer of makeup on.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get up.¡± Amber urgently stopped her as she tenderly asked, ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s just that I can¡¯t eat anything, which is annoying.¡± Trysta smiled and even pouted at Amber. ¡°Actually, I vomited again just before you came in.¡±


    Amber clutched Trysta¡¯s hand in concern. ¡°You¡¯ll get used to it. And even if you can¡¯t, that¡¯s fine. I know a doctor from the gynecology department. She¡¯s great, and I¡¯m sure that she knows of a remedy for this.¡±


    Her caring words made Trysta smile, but as she smiled, she also lightly caressed her forehead. Seeing this, Amber naturally helped Trysta massage her temples. As she did so, she turned and said to Trysta¡¯s mother, ¡°I¡¯d like to speak to Trysta alone. Is that alright?¡±


    Trysta¡¯s mother hurriedly agreed. Ever since she and Amber had entered, Sarah hadn¡¯t said anything beyond an initial greeting. At this moment, she also stood up and said, ¡°Trysta, since Dr. Camille¡¯s here, I¡¯m going to go first, ok? Rest well, and I¡¯ll see you again in a few days.¡±


    Trysta was blissfully enjoying Amber¡¯s massage, and she didn¡¯t even open her eyes as she casually waved goodbye at Sarah.


    After everyone left, she finally opened her eyes, looking straight at Amber. ¡°What sort of gaze is that?¡±

 Chapter 157. DANGER part 2

    ¡°What sort of gaze is that?¡±


    Amber curtly replied, ¡°A gaze of disapproval for you.¡±


    She had already forgotten that she had talked about her issues with Amber a bit, and was somewhat surprised. ¡°You¡¯ve already guessed it? Psychiatrists can really find out a lot from a little, huh.¡±


    Trysta smiled. It was a faint and cold smile. ¡°Don¡¯t tell the others. I have to make her act nice to me for a few more days so that I¡¯ll feel a bit better about all the stupid things I did in the past.¡±


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t know that you know?¡±


    ¡°Yup. None of them know.¡±


    Amber looked at her somewhat skeptically. Trysta firmly said, ¡°It¡¯s true. The two of them thought that they covered themselves up quite well, and they never expected me to find out. Ha! Unfortunately, nothing that happens in this world is untraceable. Just as geese honk, so too do actions leave traces. No n is wless.¡± After a moment¡¯s pause, she continued. ¡°But I will admit that they hid it pretty well, so much so that I only discovered it just now.¡±


    Amber¡¯s tone was calm as she consoled Trysta, saying, ¡°It¡¯s just that you never even thought of suspecting them before. After all, who would be so small-minded as to suspect her husband and best friend to be meeting in the dark if they don¡¯t act suspiciously?¡±


    As Amber said this, Trysta smiled again. ¡°You always scold people in a roundabout fashion, but why do I feel so much better when you do so?¡±


    ¡°As long as you feel better, that¡¯s good enough.¡± Amber put down Trysta¡¯s hands and started running her hand through the hair by Trysta¡¯s temples. ¡°Trysta, you¡¯re extremely smart, but I still have a few words for you. No army can remain victorious forever, and no water stays in a rigid form. Setbacks and failures, just like sesses, are all a part of life.


    Having a failed marriage isn¡¯t unusual, and finding out that your friends aren¡¯t who you thought they were isn¡¯t shameful either. What¡¯s more frightening is if you get trapped in your own thoughts, and suffer through others¡¯ shameless actions to punish yourself. You should know that ruining your marriage is better than having your marriage ruin you. We¡¯re still young, and there¡¯s no need to get fixated on a boring little thing. Once we let it go, our vision will naturally expand.


    This was Amber¡¯s philosophy, so despite how stubbornly shetched onto some things, she would release them just as quickly.


    Of course Trysta understood Amber¡¯s advice; it was just that she was unwilling to ept the situation as it stood. She tiredly leaned against Amber¡¯s body as she grumbled, ¡°You said that you weren¡¯t going to say much, but then you went and said all that.¡± She closed her eyes. ¡°Alright, I understand. I won¡¯t ruin myself over the two of them.¡± As she said this, she gently rubbed her belly.


    That single action told Amber that Trysta actually still cared very much for her child, regardless of whether or not it hade at an appropriate time. And long as she had some lingering attachments, it would all be fine as it was essentially insurance against her doing anything too extreme.


    Trysta really was quite tired, and Amber¡¯s tone was so gentle and soothing that she unknowingly fell asleep, still leaning against Amber¡¯s shoulder.


    Amber gently lowered Trysta back into the bed and watched her sleep peacefully for a while before getting up and going downstairs.


    The atmosphere was somewhat stiff there, mostly because Trysta¡¯s parents had never really interacted with Ian before. Ian only exacerbated this awkwardness with his holier-than-thou behavior; the end result was that whenever the three of them tried to chat, it would quickly fall t.


    When Ian noticed Ambere out, his demeanor remained about the same as before, but Trysta¡¯s parents visibly rxed as they enthusiastically called her over. ¡°Come sit here.¡± And then they even pushed food and drinks into her hand.


    Amber smiled as she politely declined. ¡°There¡¯s no need. I¡¯m about to leave.¡±


    ¡°Already?¡± Trysta¡¯s mother really couldn¡¯t bear for Amber to go so soon. She hadn¡¯t realized it earlier, but Amber¡¯s presence trulyforted her. ¡°Why don¡¯t you leave after you have dinner with us? Where¡¯s Trysta? I¡¯m sure that she can¡¯t bear to see you go so soon either.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s already asleep. Mrs. Wilson, if there¡¯s nothing urgent, then please don¡¯t wake her up and just let her sleep. And if you can, please spend some more time just talking to her. If her body allows it, you can even go shopping with her and help her decorate the nursery. Actually, as long as she feels healthy, you can find her something suitable to do.¡±


    Trysta¡¯s parents were a bit shocked. ¡°Nursery? Trysta ¡­ has decided to keep the child?¡±


    ¡°I think she will.¡±


    ¡°Then she and Frank ¡­.¡±


    ¡°That I can¡¯t guess. But no matter what, Trysta isn¡¯t a headstrong person. So if you can support her, then please do.¡± The most important thing was to keep Trysta happy. As long as she didn¡¯t go crazy or start thinking about getting revenge on the two of them, or on society, then everything could be left up to her.


    Trysta¡¯s parents sighed as they replied, ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t we support her? All we want is for her to be happy.¡±


    Amber nodded. Having said her piece, she bid farewell and promptly left.


    ***


    When she left the Wilson household, Amber¡¯s feelings were a bit heavy, and so she didn¡¯t notice Ian sneaking a few nces at her.


    Finally, Ian couldn¡¯t bear it anymore and straightforwardly asked, ¡°Are you always like this after holding a therapy session?¡±


    Amber became reinvigorated when she heard his question. In response, she shook her head and said with a troubled expression, ¡°Of course not. I¡¯m just more worried about Amber. I feel like she¡¯s nning something big.¡±


    Ian indifferently said, ¡°Given how old she is, I¡¯m sure that she can bear the consequences of her own actions. Why worry about her?¡±


    Amber turned around to look at him.


    When Ian had said this callous statement, his tone had been calm, his eyes bright, and his expression unperturbed. Evidently, he didn¡¯t think that Amber had any legitimate reason to worry about Trysta.


    A pang of sympathy moved Amber¡¯s heart, and she fixed her expression as she asked, ¡°Then if something happened to that big Billy, would you worry about him?¡±


    Her phrase ¡®that big Billy¡¯ made Ian smile slightly, but without even thinking about his response, he said, ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because that¡¯s his business.¡±


    ¡°¡­ But don¡¯t you help him out at times? I remember that during thest time I talked to him, he said that he wanted to thank you because you did him a big favor.¡±


    Amber¡¯s example made Ian chuckle. ¡°That¡¯s because it benefitted me as well.¡± He then asked her, ¡°Do you benefit from helping Trysta?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± When Amber saw Ian getting ready to open his mouth again, she quickly continued. ¡°But if she can get better, then as a friend, I¡¯ll be happy for her, and as a doctor, I¡¯ll feel aplished.¡±


    There was a red light ahead of them, and as Ian braked, he also jeered at her. ¡°She can make you happy and give you a sense of aplishment?¡±


    His tone was calm, but hidden within that calmness was a bit of shock, a shock that clearly revealed Ian¡¯s feelings towards her words. Ian looked askance at her as if she were an idiot.


    Amber was very protective of her friends, and Ian¡¯s behavior seriously upset her. ¡°Of course she can!¡±


    Ian¡¯s tongue then really became vicious. ¡°Ha! She¡¯s a stupid idiot who would go insane over something as small as that. Why on earth would you feel happy for someone like that?¡±


    Amber was speechless at the sheer callousness of Ian¡¯s words!


    It seemed that discussing emotions with a patient suffering from emotional detachment was just making life difficult for herself. So instead, Amber changed how she approached the subject. ¡°Then, if you were Trysta, what would you do?¡±This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.


    The red light turned green, and Ian elerated smoothly as he stared at the road ahead. ¡°I¡¯ll destroy all that he cares about and take back what¡¯s rightfully mine. What else could I do?¡±


    Amber could faintly feel a savage bloodthirst in his words and couldn¡¯t help but blink twice in surprise. ¡°I¡­ I haven¡¯t offended you, have I?¡±

 Chapter 158. DON’T TEASE ME! part1

    ¡°I¡­ I haven¡¯t offended you, have I?¡±


    Ian thought for a moment before turning around and grinning at her with all of his teeth exposed. ¡°Yes, you have.¡±


    She was very shocked. ¡°When?¡±


    ¡°Does changing our date ns on your own count?¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t count. I already obtained your approval.¡± She very much wanted to directly head home, but now, she could only say, ¡°Why don¡¯t we go watch a movie together?¡±


    Ian actually didn¡¯t object. Amber looked up some tickets online, but she found that the only ones avable were in the early morning. Reluctant to do so, she asked quietly, ¡°Can we get food instead?¡±


    Ian ignored her request this time, instead driving to Axton Hotel. Once they arrived, some attendants came over to receive them, and as Amber and Ian walked inside, they reported, ¡°Director Axton, we¡¯ve prepared everything.¡±


    Amber didn¡¯t know what he was nning, and just walked alongside him. As they were walking, Amber¡¯s mother called, saying that everyone was going to go out and get a meal together and asking where she was.


    Amber vaguely brushed it off with an excuse about how she was busy and couldn¡¯t go back. She asked them to just eat without her, and then also asked her mom to help her apologize to her rtives and friends.


    As she was saying all this, Ian suddenly leaned towards her and said, ¡°We¡¯re here.¡±


    Amber was startled and hurriedly tried to cover up the microphone.


    But her mother had already heard his voice, and started yelling. ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡±


    Amber mmed the phone shut and quickly put it back into her pocket. Her expression after recovering from a slight shock contained a sliver of self-deceiving foolishness. Ian found it so cute that his lips unconsciously curled up slightly; as he did so, a wisp of gentleness seeped into his fair and handsome features like the pure mountain snow after the first spring thaw.


    Amber awkwardly touched the corners of her mouth as she looked around. ¡°Where are we?¡±


    She had been at Axton Hotel a few times now, but only to three ces: the cafe, the office, and Ian¡¯s room.


    This location was entirely new to her. It seemed just like a private room in a restaurant as it was exquisitely decorated, but it also seemed like an entrance to somewhere.


    Ian made a grand gesture, inviting her in. The doors to the room opened, and she followed him in. Inside was a spherical room with elegant and refined interior decorations, a table, chairs, and exquisite refreshments ready to be served.


    Amber originally thought that this was just a ce for dining, but then she saw the doors close. Ian briskly walked further inside of the room and pulled the thick curtains apart.


    Behind the curtains was a huge wall of ss, and behind the ss was just a blue¡­ screen of water. ¡°Are we underwater?¡± She asked, quite shocked.


    Ian didn¡¯t respond, merely looking at her silently. Once she walked over, he snapped his fingers, and then the room suddenly turned dark, all the lights clicking off at the same time.


    As the darkness settled in, Amber remained still, not daring to move. She saw that amp had been lit beyond the water screen; themplight felt remote and seemed far away, but then, the light intensified and grewrger, causing the screen of water to be a huge curtain.


    Above the curtain was the sky, vast and boundless, while the colorful, dazzling lights shimmering overhead were like an aurora. As the sparkling lights mixed and weaved together, they created a scene that looked just like fireworks in the night sky; the whole disy had a sense of elegance and beauty that caught the spirit, as if its charm was something one could grab by extending their arm.


    Amber¡¯s waist tightened at the beautiful scene as Ian suddenly hugged her, turned her face around, and kissed her against that magnificent backdrop.


    ***


    Ian didn¡¯t kiss Amber for very long, and actually released her before she could react to his move.


    She had to admit, this kiss was pretty decent. Amber had always felt that she wouldn¡¯t like to fall for someone that easily. Case in point, when she broke up with Calvin, she didn¡¯t feel all that upset; she even truly believed that she might end up like her professor Nancy, dedicating her life to medicine and to her patients.


    But this kiss by Ian made her realize that she didn¡¯t actually subconsciously reject Ian as her boyfriend, and she wasn¡¯t even repulsed by being intimate with him.


    Furthermore, under the resplendent backdrop, Ian¡¯s already handsome face was enhanced with a soft glow, giving his skin the healthy appearance of a well toasted bun, one that she wanted to take a bite out of.


    Amber tried hard not to drool too much, but this was extremely difficult! He was so close to her that their foreheads were about to touch; she could even smell his clean scent and the rich smell of his male pheromones.


    She involuntarily thought back to the pornographic, shameful dream that she had had on New Year¡¯s Eve. And then in her moment of weakness, Ian asked her, ¡°Do you like the view?¡±


    His voice was low and hoarse, sexy and tititing.Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    Amber tried to remain calm. ¡°Yes.¡±


    Ian directly said, ¡°I mean me.¡± He tilted her jaw up with one hand, making her look at him. Meanwhile, his other hand grabbed her hand and guided it to drape across his sculpted jaw, past his fine and slight Adam¡¯s apple and his lean but strong chest, until it finally reached his narrow waist.


    He then squeezed her fingers and made them press hard against his equally hard abs. He remembered that her nce had lingered in that area earlier for a few seconds, her face flushed a deep red. ¡°Do I look good?¡±


    Unable to resist her own desires, Amber¡¯s face turned red again. By that time, the light from the water screen had slowly dissipated, and the screen had turned into the dark cosmos, shining stars blinking amidst the darkness.


    This was more than just a light show-this date was also a test of extreme endurance for Amber¡¯s mind!


    Amber wasn¡¯t a coy person. When she realized that her feelings had already gone out of control, she didn¡¯t waste more energy struggling to control it. Instead, even with a red face, she tried hard to calmly say, ¡°Yes, you look good.¡±


    And then after a brief pause, she continued to say, ¡°The room¡¯s very beautiful, you¡¯re also beautiful, and your physique is even more beautiful.¡± When people feel anxious, they can relieve some of the tension by talking more.


    With her free hand, Amber gently touched Ian¡¯s face as she asked, ¡°Ian Axton, do you know what the term is for someone who uses a face as handsome as yours and an expression as cool and calm as yours to tease someone?¡±

 Chapter 159. DON’T TEASE ME! part 2

    Ian pursed his lips, not answering. He was certain that this was a leading question, and that whatever term she was thinking of would be derogatory.


    Amber didn¡¯t mind, and she answered her own question. ¡°Byronic. Do you know what a Byronic hero is? He¡¯s someone who¡¯s as beautiful and eye-catching as a masterpiece drawing, someone who dresses well and constantly wears an elegant, erudite expression.


    However, he¡¯s also someone who, despite that refined appearance, speaks vulgarly and does vulgar things. These men, who disy a stark contrast between their actions and their appearance, are supposedly very popr among women.


    They disregard everything to rush up and push you down, to tear your clothes apart, to pull off your mask of pride and arrogance, to make you fall deeply into the affairs of regr human beings, where you¡¯re inextricably mired yet still unable and unwilling to free yourself.¡±


    After this outburst, she suddenly pulled tightly on his cor and bit down fiercely on his lower jaw, grinding her teeth as she somewhat viciously said, ¡°Ian, as dashing as you are, don¡¯t try to tease me like this, alright?¡±


    Amber only wanted to interact with Ian as a patient, so that he would quickly scram after being treated. She simply had no confidence in keeping a man like him.


    Ian tilted his head curiously. In the moments after Amber bit him, ayer of goosebumps had rapidly risen along the path that her teeth had traced upon his body. Before, this had been an instinctive reaction that represented the revulsion he felt towards other people touching him. But now, this represented pure excitement.


    He mped down on this newfound excitement as he disparaged her. ¡°And so what if I tease you?¡±


    ¡°Then I won¡¯t be responsible for the consequences!¡± Amber responded without a trace of hesitation.


    Ianughed, a light, low and throatyugh. And underneath the starry sky, he once again lowered his head and kissed her lips.


    She heard him softly whisper, ¡°Then don¡¯t take responsibility. I will.¡±


    Amber found it agonizingly difficult for her to resist the charm of a mature man and his repeated sincere advances.


    Or perhaps it was that the starlight was truly beautiful. Even if it were fake, she also deeply desired to experience a romantic encounter at least once in her life, especially when the man wooing her was so breathtakingly beautiful.


    Amber shut her eyes, temporarily putting aside all thoughts of illnesses and patients, and even of how rational Ian was even if he only saw her as a piece of driftwood or even a piece of straw, she would ept it in this moment.


    Ever since Billy had told her that Ian had waited outside her door for an entire day, ever since she had heard him say ¡°I missed you¡±, her heart had been touched.


    She¡­ was actually also very deste, just like the aurora thaty at the farthest ends of the world, just like the starry sky that extended beyond the Milky Way and into the cold universe.


    The stars were so small. Perhaps all they could do was sink into the nothingness of space.


    ¡­


    Amber was woken up by her phone¡¯s ringing. After countless missed calls, Amber¡¯s mother had deviously decided to send her a video call instead.


    The phone was in her shirt pocket, and while the two of them had been rolling around in bed, the call had somehow connected!


    And then she heard her mother¡¯s prating shrill voice. ¡°Amber! What on earth are you doing?!¡±


    Amber was so shocked that she shivered briefly before her fear took over. She shoved Ian aside and frantically climbed out of bed, only to find that, despite her clothes and jacket being worn properly, her undershirt waspletely unbuttoned. She quickly and clumsily dealt with her clothes before slipping her hand into her shirt pocket and turning the screen off.


    Amber¡¯s mother¡¯s demonic voice finally vanished.


    Only then did Amber rx, and only then did she realize that they had actually ended up on a bed!This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡®A bed??¡¯


    She automatically asked, ¡°Why is there a bed here?¡± She then turned around and saw that the room they had entered earlier was past another door. Evidently, this room was designed as a suite, and it was very likely to be a suite designed for couples.


    After enjoying a good meal and enjoying the scenery, then, while their spirits were high, he had done something to her in bed. How shameless!


    Amber buttoned herself up as the previously shoved aside Ian climbed closer to her; he seemed reluctant to let her go, and even wanted to push her down again.


    Amber didn¡¯t struggle, and instead patted his face brusquely. ¡°I have to go back now.¡±


    But Ian ignored her, his hand slipping into her clothes, clearly still unsatisfied-the truth was that the two hadn¡¯t done much. They had just kissed and entered the room, with their clothes still partially on, when Amber¡¯s mother had interrupted them.


    But Amber had a foolproof method to stop Ian in his tracks. She confidently said, ¡°Neither of us have even bathed yet, and I spent the whole day visiting my rtives, so I¡¯m all sweaty. And after that, I yed cards, bought snacks, and even rubbed Trysta¡¯s face.¡±


    She looked at him earnestly. ¡°Do you really want to continue?¡±


    Ian was yet again at a loss for words.


    The hand that he had snuck into her clothes quickly removed itself, and his infatuated gaze quickly cleared up. Amber couldn¡¯t help herself from wanting tough, because it was quite ironic that the key to his aloofness and unusually austere behavior was the same key to stopping him cold.


    If she stayed here any longer, then she was sure that something would happen! So, Amber didn¡¯t dare to stay, and took advantage of Ian¡¯s still muddled senses to quickly jump off of the bed and quickly put on her clothes.


    Ian remained where he was, by the head of the bed, unmoving, just like the first time they had been in this position. That morning, she had woken up early and cleaned up after herself while he coolly looked down at her from a high vantage point.


    However, Amber didn¡¯t dare poke him anymore, and as she tidied herself up, she even tried to make idle conversation with him to ease the awkwardness. ¡°Have you been reading any new books thesest few days?¡± It felt like his techniques for picking up girls had matured greatly, both in terms of his words and his actions.


    Before this, whenever he got in the mood for ¡°it,¡± he would directly strip without any forey!


    Ian seemed to be quite disgusted with what she¡¯d had just asked him, andzily replied, ¡°Ansell¡¯s girlfriends rmended me quite a lot of novels. They¡¯re all something like, ¡®The CEO¡¯s Private Lover,¡¯ ¡®The Boss¡¯s Romantic Sweetheart,¡¯ and so on and so forth. There¡¯s a whole pile of them.¡±


    Amber made a o(-)o face as she thought to herself, ¡®What ¡­?!¡¯

 Chapter 160. HOW SHAMEFUL!

    Amber didn¡¯t hesitate at all before going up to Ian and taking his pulse.


    Thankfully, even though it had been a while since their kiss, Ian¡¯s heart rate was clearly elevated, and his body wasn¡¯t as cold as it usually was.


    Yes, he had clearly experienced emotions just then.


    Ian easily understood what she was doing, and he started smiling, his eyes curving into beautiful crescents. ¡°How stupid,¡± he said in a belittling tone he used his long arm to pull her back into bed and underneath him. ¡°Do you really believe everything I say? Did you really think that I would read such trashy books, whose titles alone sound idiotic?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. But if your earlier actions were just something born from skill and technique, then wouldn¡¯t that make me too easy of a target?¡±


    Actually, what she really wanted to say instead of ¡®just something born from skill and technique¡¯ was ¡®just a script that you followed¡¯-this fellow¡¯s brain was just like a calctor. After identifying a goal, he would work solely to achieve that goal, putting any notions of emotions or morals aside.


    After Amber expressed interest in having him woo her, he simrly became interested and decided to do it. To this end, he hade up with all sorts of tricks and ruses, but they were all in pursuit of this final goal, and nothing else.


    As for actual, genuine emotions, Amber couldn¡¯t find the space to consider them at this moment.


    But Amber was already quite satisfied with his progress-at the very least, his feelings seemed to now have some slight physiological effects. However, she didn¡¯t know if Ian understood the deeper meaning behind her words.


    His lips were cold, and he wasn¡¯t speaking. Instead, he was rudely trying to unbutton her blouse again, but from abination of Amber¡¯s resisting and his using too much strength, he even broke off two of her buttons by ident.


    Amber¡¯s face fell t.


    Ian stilled for a moment before heically tried to put the buttons back onto her clothes. But when he found that they no longer stuck to the fabric, he started pondering the situation silently.


    Amber justy there underneath him. When she saw the struggle on his face about what to do, she felt unable to watch any further. But just as she was about to tell him to forget it, that it didn¡¯t matter if her blouse was missing some buttons, he said, ¡°Take it off and have someone sew them back on. That¡¯ll be just enough time for us to take a bath.¡±


    Aftering up with a suitable excuse, he promptly started trying to strip her clothes off. He moved so quickly that Amber was stuck halfway between anger and amusement at the absurdity of it; she dodged around as she said, ¡°Wait, wait, wait. I can do it myself. This is a dining area-where would we even bathe?¡±


    Ian paused briefly, and in that moment, he must have touched something hidden somewhere because Amber then saw the left wall, which was disying andscape painting, slowly roll up to reveal a washroom hidden behind it.


    It also had a natural design, with a heated pool that epassed a rather significant area.


    Amber was struck dumb¡­ ¡®Just how much did this all even cost?¡¯


    ¡°Are we really at the bottom of the river?¡± She asked this question again. It was a natural one because Axton Hotel was close to the river, but then she remembered the reason behind the Axton Hotel¡¯s fame. ording to the ads she¡¯d seen, it was the country¡¯s first aquatic sci-fi hotel.


    Ian shook his head before he pulled out a remote control from the side. Once he pressed a button, the entire scene of the washroom changed. This time, the theme was terrestrial: there was a forest all around them, and it even had extremely realistic bird chirps and animal howls! If she had been distracted for even a moment, she might really have thought that they were in a bed in somerge forest!


    When Ian noticed her interest in the adjustable environment settings, he started flipping through thendscapes one by one; after the forest came a burning desert, then a long river amidst the setting sun, an endless grasnds, and the most fantastical one was set in outer space.


    Amber didn¡¯t know how such special effects were made, but when thendscape changed to outer space, it felt like even the bed was rocking and shifting beneath her.


    Amber suddenly realized that she was still underneath him, and when the bed shook, the two of them also started rocking around! How shameful!


    Ian was entranced by her blushing red face, and couldn¡¯t help himself from caressing it with his hands. As they rocked back and forth, he exined, ¡°Actually, it¡¯s all just made from 3D effects, and it¡¯s targeted towards those who want to pretend to be wild soldiers but are afraid of actual danger.¡±Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    Amber had no response.


    In order to make it clear that she wasn¡¯t someone who enjoyed or would participate in such ¡®battlefield operations¡¯, Amber firmly pushed Ian off of her. Thetter removed himself quite unwillingly, and even futilely said, ¡°We can continue after we wash up!¡± But Amber said that she was hungry, and after they ate, she then had to go back.


    Amber had to go back because after her parents had finished dinner and sent their rtives away, they made Ruby drive them into the city to search for her.


    However, Amber didn¡¯t let Ian drop her off. Instead, she called for a taxi herself. Mr. Axton had a remarkable intellect but a remarkably low emotional quotient; when Amber said to not send her off, he didn¡¯t insist on doing so as he probably thought that this wasn¡¯t a big deal.

 Chapter 161. MARRIED SECRETLY

    After Amber finally got home, she was immediately interrogated by both of her parents. ¡°Something really dide up! Ever since Trysta became pregnant, she hasn¡¯t been doing well. She¡¯s been unable to eat or sleep, so her parents called me over. I really had no choice but to go.¡±


    And then Amber said that she had been apanying Trysta this whole time, and was unable to answer her phone because Trysta¡¯s emotions were too unstable. She even offered to call Trysta¡¯s mother¡¯s as a witness, telling them, ¡°You can call them to confirm it. I¡¯m serious.¡±


    Her expression was sincere.


    Her parents begrudgingly believed her because they couldn¡¯t really call Trysta¡¯s parents, could they? But they still didn¡¯t let her off the hook, and they instead shifted topics to Ian.


    ¡°If he didn¡¯t do anything with you during the New Year¡¯s, then he clearly doesn¡¯t think of you seriously. Thus, I think you might as well drop this matter.¡±


    The key thing was that Ruby had told them about Ian¡¯s background. Although the Axton family wasn¡¯t as well-known in the suburbs, Amber¡¯s parents still knew of his family. Even though they did feel better about Ian as a potential son-inw, they also felt that there was no need for Amber to try to jump so high up on the pecking order. After all, they prioritized their daughter¡¯s future happiness.


    In fact, the main reason why they had rushed over so hurriedly tonight was to emphasize this matter.


    Amber naturally agreed with whatever they said. Her rtionship with Ian was tooplicated to exin, and given the current stage of their rtionship, it was also unnecessary to exin it.


    By the time they were done talking, it had gotten veryte in the night, and Amber had to work out the sleeping situation for everyone. Her ce only had two bedrooms and a single living room. Her parents would take the guest room, so Ruby had no other option but to sleep in the living room.


    Luckily for him, the living room had a heater, and this spring was quite warm. So, Ruby wouldn¡¯t freeze even if he was a bit ufortable.


    After their parents retired to their room for the night, the two siblings had their own conversation. Ruby and Amber were more or less acquaintances, and the two even had some business connections, so he started off by asking about her condition.


    Amber couldn¡¯t really reveal much about Frank, so she vaguely replied, ¡°It¡¯s somewhat awkward for her to receive visitors right now, so it¡¯s fine even if you don¡¯t go visit her.¡±


    Ruby nodded before suddenly asking, ¡°Did you go to the Axton Hotel tonight?¡±


    No matter how skilled Amber was at psychiatry, she still couldn¡¯t fully conceal her own emotions. Caught off guard, she could only eventually truthfully reply, ¡°Yes. How did you know?¡±


    ¡°My friend was eating there and he saw you.¡± Ruby looked at his sister, his tone severe. ¡°Is there really nothing going on between you and Ian?¡±


    Amber fell silent. Before tonight, she could have firmly imed that there was nothing going on between them, and that she was only treating him as a special patient. But after the night¡¯s events, she clearly knew that their rtionship wasn¡¯t that simply described.


    After thinking it over briefly, she cautiously said, ¡°If there¡¯s something, then I might not reject it.¡±


    Ruby¡¯s expression became somewhatplicated, as he probably wanted to congratte her but did not know where to start.


    After quite a while, he finally said, ¡°The Axton family isn¡¯t a regr family, and Ian isn¡¯t a regr person.¡± He was silent for another stretch of time before asking, ¡°Have you met his family?¡±


    Amber nodded.


    ¡°He¡­ has a brother. Have you met him too?¡±


    Amber raised her head, surprised.This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°You¡¯ve investigated him?¡± This ¡°him¡± was referring to Ian. It wasn¡¯t strange for Amber to think this, because Daren Axton was still in school. As a businessman, it wouldn¡¯t be strange for Ruby to know of Ian, but him knowing Daren was a bit strange.


    Ruby paused for a moment before quickly inting with confidence and vigorously dering, ¡°Of course! I only have one sister! Don¡¯t I have to be more careful?¡±


    Amber harrumphed in annoyance. ¡°Lying again!¡±


    Ruby desperately thought to himself, ¡®What can I do?!¡¯ He was used to making these moves all the time in his business dealings, but he had to be very careful with his words at home.


    When he was faced with Amber¡¯s pellucid gaze that refused to let him get away with even the smallest thing, he could only touch his nose in shame and admit, ¡°I wanted to do business with the Axton family in the past, so I thought of some ways to form connections with them.


    Ian is particrly hard to get close to, so I asked someone to investigate the people around him to see if there were any easier targets.¡±


    ¡°And what did you find?¡± But as soon as Amber said this, she suddenly remembered the answer to her own question. ¡°Not only did you find something, but you even found the target that you were looking for, didn¡¯t you? I remember that your engineering project in Hainan was from the Axton family.¡±


    This engineering project in Hainan was the project that Ruby had been working on right before the start of the new year. He had never mentioned it before, but Amber had suddenly recalled that the backdrop of one of his work photos on his social media feed was the banner of the Axton corporation.


    Ruby begrudgingly admitted to it. ¡°You do have quite the good memory.¡± He then sighed before exining, ¡°I did do that project, but I wasn¡¯t the one who obtained the contract. I bought it off of someone else, and even had to fork over arge intermediary fee to him.¡±


    Afraid that Amber was going to keep pressing him for information, he hurriedly said, ¡°So since you¡¯re on really good terms with Ian now, please don¡¯t forget about me.¡± He grabbed her hand and rubbed it greedily. ¡°Don¡¯t forget about your dear brother when you make it rich.¡±


    Amber pulled her hand back as if she were about to p him in the face.


    Ruby chuckled. As the two siblings messed with each other, Amber suddenly heard her mother calling for her.


    Amber went into the guest room and immediately saw that the guest room¡¯s cupboard was wide open. Her parents were both stock-still in their pajamas, as if they had just seen a frightening creaturee out of the cupboard.


    Amber peeked in. Ah, oh dear. The big red nket that Ian had used to wrap up his nude body s a present was still there! Amber¡¯s mother walked over, pointed at the nket, and asked, ¡°When did you buy this?¡±


    Actually, the nket wasn¡¯t the problem, its color was the real issue. Amber¡¯s taste had never included such bright colors. She might have one or two red pieces of clothing to match with the rest of her outfit.


    But with regards to a nket, and especially to this sort of big, red nket that was normally only bought for a marriage or a particrly joyous asion, Amber wouldn¡¯t buy something like that even if she weren¡¯t thinking straight!


    But what she said was, ¡°I¡­ I bought it when I wasn¡¯t thinking straight.¡±


    And then her infuriated mother yelled, ¡°You wouldn¡¯t buy something like this even if you weren¡¯t thinking straight! Is this something that you think can be exined away by that silly excuse?


    This damn thing is something that you only use when you get married! Tell us, did you already secretly get married with that dolt?!¡±

 Chapter 162. SHE GAVE HERSELF

    Amber¡¯s mother was so mad that her imagination was running rampant, causing her to even start cursing! And the more she thought about it, the more sense her theory made to her, and she even started running around the entire apartment, trying to unearth evidence that Amber had gotten secretly married without telling her family.


    Amber¡¯s mother had never forcefully searched through Amber¡¯s belongings in this fashion before.  Amber had always been an obedient child, a diligent student, and a responsible adult. It was only in thest two years that Amber¡¯s parents had started worrying about her rtionships.


    Before that, they had never really interfered with her life. As a result, when they did get serious, Amber couldn¡¯t really do anything to stop them. As for Ruby, the siblings usually teamed up to get away from their parents¡¯ nagging, but he didn¡¯t want to join in to just attract their attention and be scolded for not having any rtionship progress.


    Amber looked pitifully towards her father for help, but just one sentence from him caused her mother to turn on him too.


    Helpless, Amber could only concede to her mother¡¯s fury. Her mother scolded all of them, and finally, Amber even had to call Ian.


    Once the call connected, she was stripped of the privilege of speaking. Her mother took over the phone, and personally talked to Ian. Of course, her mother¡¯s tone was still quite kindly; in order to not lose her daughter any face, she didn¡¯t act too brusquely.


    She steered the conversation through a tortuous line of small talk before finally saying, ¡°Ian, given that you¡¯ve been with my daughter for this long, why don¡¯t we officially meet up?¡±


    She hadn¡¯t asked for the two families to meet up, but rather just him and her family.


    Ian was unusually patient with Amber¡¯s mother. Even though he thought that her call was a bit random and out of the blue, when he recalled the romance books that he¡¯d read, he was about to take a treasure away from her hands. Thus, it was only natural for him to act nicer to her.


    And so, when Amber¡¯s mother requested for them meet up, Ian decisively agreed without any hesitation, and even made sure to choose a date that wasn¡¯t the sixth-that day was supposed to be a date day for him and Amber, and he¡¯d force it through even if it were raining frogs outside.


    After Amber¡¯s mother confirmed the time for the meetup with Ian, she became paranoid about her daughter colluding with him anding up with a fake story. So, not only did she confiscate Amber¡¯s phone, but she even slept with Amber during the night, and she even came up with a decent excuse for doing so: your brother¡¯s so tall that it wouldn¡¯t be good for him to sleep on the sofa.


    Amber had suffered through so much torment over the course of the day that she had no energy left to rebuff her mother. Giving up, she just epted whatever her mother said.


    Originally, because of Ian¡¯s thoughtful and romantic behavior, she had been a bit happy inside, but after all of this hassle, those feelings had long since disappeared. The only desire on her mind now was to sleep.


    And when she woke up, she realized, ¡®Ah, today¡¯s the fifth¡¯.


    Amber was very impressed with how much trouble her mother was willing to go through to cause trouble. However, she had no choice in this matter, and she even had to wake up early to try to curry favor with her mother.


    After breakfast, she proactively said, ¡°Ma, since we have some free time, let¡¯s go shopping, buy some nice outfits, and get our hair done. You¡¯ve worked hard all year long, so when you have time off, you should take care of yourself.¡±


    Her parents worked in their diner every day for the whole year. In terms of eating, they were doing fine, but their appearance left much to be desired, as they were not even willing to i wear the new clothes that Ruby and Amber had bought for them.


    Ruby also helped her out in trying to convince their mom. ¡°That¡¯s right! If you dress up well, Dad¡¯ll look at you with fresh eyes.¡¯


    But that only provoked his mother¡¯s scolding. ¡°What do you mean? Are you resenting me for nagging at you? Are you saying that I¡¯m old, garrulous, stale, and that your dad should swap me for someone fresher?¡±


    Amber¡¯s father, who had been innocentlyzing around, was attacked out of nowhere, ¡®How unjust!¡¯


    Amber knew that her mother was just taking her anger out on her brother, so she put in some real effort tofort her. Only after bringing up Ian and the Axton family did her anger finally abate.


    As the family left the apartment, Ruby and Amber sighed from the front. ¡°Our mother¡¯s so hard to please. It feels like our mother¡¯s transformed into a wicked stepmother just because we haven¡¯t found partners and gotten married yet.¡±


    Meanwhile, Amber¡¯s father was saying to his wife from the back, ¡°This wasn¡¯t what we nned¡­ And why did you also start scolding me?¡±


    Amber¡¯s mother gave him a supercilious look. ¡°Look at how good the results were! Didn¡¯t Amber obediently schedule a meeting for us and little Axton l after? Even when we harried her before in the past, she didn¡¯t treat it as something important. We were definitely too nice to them before!¡±


    After thinking about it for a moment, Ambers father sighed in defeat. Yes, she was right. So, he continued to act out the role of the good cop to his wife¡¯s bad cop, all the way until they sessfully met Ian.


    Ian hade alone, bearing arge number of gifts while also dressed cleanly and neatly. He was wearing a buttoned up jacket that could havee from a uniform.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    That,bined with his calm, handsome, and austere face, gave off an elegant, noble, and gracious demeanor,pletely unlike the dolt who had casually stripped naked in someone else¡¯s home,


    Ruby didn¡¯te because he had prior ns, so besides Ian, it was just Amber and her parents. When Ian arrived, his appearance left all three of them somewhat dazed.


    Amber¡¯s father was the first to react; he stepped in front of his wife and daughter as he said with a stern face, ¡°You¡¯re really Ian?¡±


    In a cool but not impolite tone, Ian replied, ¡°Yes. It¡¯s nice to meet you, and Happy New Year to both of you.¡± And then he waved his hands, first giving them his prepared gifts.


    He was quite adept at choosing appropriate gifts. They were not too expensive, but were clearly very presentable. ¡°These are just a few trinkets, not as valuable as what Amber has given me.¡±


    Amber immediately thought, ¡®What valuable thing have I given him?¡¯


    Amber¡¯s parents curiously asked, ¡°What did Amber give you?¡±


    Ian looked straight at Amber. He was sitting solemnly on the other side of the table; his posture was straight, and his bearing upright and unafraid as he very seriously and severely said, ¡°She gave herself to me.¡±


    Amber and her family opened their eyes in shock!!!

 Chapter 163. SURPRISED

    Amber immediately blurted out, ¡°Don¡¯t speak such nonsense¡­.¡± But she was silenced with one hand from her mom.


    Amber¡¯s mother stared at Ian in horror, as if she were about to copse.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    ¡°Have you two gotten married yet?¡±


    Ian didn¡¯t understand why Amber¡¯s mother was asking this, but he insipidly replied, ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Then just what do those words of yours mean?!¡±


    A faint hint of shyness appeared on Ian¡¯s face-so faint that the three of them wouldn¡¯t have noticed it if they weren¡¯t attentively staring at him.


    A very bad premonition surfaced in Amber¡¯s heart. She was about to open her mouth to stop him, but she was toote. ¡°I meant that she¡¯s willing to get into bed with me now.¡±


    Amber thought, ¡®Did you have to be so direct?!¡¯


    While Amber¡¯s parents couldn¡¯t even think of a reply.


    They seemed to have lost all of their HP both of them were sitting there stunned with indignant red faces, wanting to roar out in defiance. Who on earth would say something that directly?! And someone like you, whose rtionship with our daughter is still undetermined¡­ ¡®For you to say something like that in front of us, her parents, are you really trying to be beaten to death?¡¯


    Ian blinked, and was surprised to see the three people in front of him show signs of extreme agitation. He raised his eyebrows in confusion. ¡®Should I not have said those words?¡¯


    His experience in interacting with a ¡®girlfriend¡¯s¡¯ family was really just too limited. In his own family, his mother had died early while his father had never cared about these kinds of things. Although his grandparents did ask a lot of questions, Ian always answered them simply and roughly.


    Case in point, his grandmother loved asking him, ¡°How¡¯s your rtionship with Dr. Camille going?¡±


    He would mechanically answer, ¡°chasing after her,¡± ¡°kissed her,¡± and ¡°can try to get into bed with her.¡±


    After trying to ask him a few times, his grandmother didn¡¯t dare ask again, because the answers were growing more and more provocative. Instead, she decided to just happily wait for the oue.


    Ian innocently thought that Amber¡¯s parents would behave the same as his grandmother, so he described the situation truthfully. No matter what, honesty was a virtue. Even when he conducted business, he particrly disliked roundabout discussions where each party gave evasive answers.


    Instead, he preferred to straightforwardly delineate his bottom line. If the business deal worked out for both of them, great; if not, that was also fine. He hated it people who just kept bbering on the most.


    And since he was ustomed to everyone indulging in his preferences, Mr. Axton really didn¡¯t understand how to be indirect, and him spending this much effort to chase after Amber was already an abnormal venture for him. Of course, it could also be interpreted that he immensely enjoyed doing so; otherwise, he would have just done what he did before: sign a contract and save himself all that trouble!


    And so, Ambers pitiful parents received a tremendous shock-it was so bad that they were unable to regain their senses for quite a while: they simply didn¡¯t know how to respond to Ian¡¯s brazen words!


    They were angry, but their words remained choked up in their chests.


    Finally, Amber stood up. She was exasperated, but she was at least mentally prepared for a situation like this, so she quickly recovered from her shock and regained her calmness-what else could she do? All he had done was say his inner thoughts out loud.


    But she also didn¡¯t have any way to soften the impact of Ian¡¯s words, so she could only attempt to nicely cate her parents. ¡°We haven¡¯t done anything inappropriate so far, have we? Mom, please stop worrying.¡±


    She ced her hand on top of her mother¡¯s hand, her tone earnest. ¡°We know what we¡¯re doing, so please trust me, mom.¡±


    Her face was still flushed red, which somewhat lowered her credibility. However, she had at least found an excuse for her parents to extricate themselves from this conversation.


    They dly epted as they didn¡¯t dare prod at this topic anymore, not even at the big red nket-who knew what shocking thing woulde from Ian¡¯s mouth next time?


    Her mother red at Amber, hissed, ¡°I¡¯ll deal with youter,¡± from the side of her mouth, and then looked toward Ian as she asked, ¡°What are your future ns?¡±


    Ian calmly responded that he nned on marrying Amber. Perhaps his earlier shocking remarks had conditioned Amber¡¯s parents, but they actually both released a deep breath after hearing his rtively normal response.


    After this, the meeting between Ian and Amber¡¯s parents finally returned to normal, and next, her parents asked if his family knew about the rtionship between the two of them.


    Ian replied, ¡°Yes, they know.¡±


    ¡°And they¡¯re supportive of it?¡±


    Even Amber¡¯s father, who normally spoke very little, solemnly stated, ¡°I won¡¯t dance around the topic. There¡¯s a very wide gap between the statuses of our two families, both in terms of social and financial positions.


    Our Amber has worked very hard for herself, and all we¡¯ve ever wanted is for her to be happy, not to mber around for wealth or position. Even if this means her not marrying, we won¡¯t let her suffer even a bit of grievance.¡±


    Amber¡¯s father was very earnest and mindful of the differences between them, and Amber noticed that after Ian heard her father¡¯s words, he stilled a little. This was the first true emotional response that he had given tonight, and she noted it down in her heart.


    Ian had already lowered his gaze, and after a while, he coolly replied, ¡°I won¡¯t let her suffer any grievances. I want to marry her, and I definitely won¡¯t let her suffer if we do so.¡±


    His words were spoken calmly, and his expression was also calm; however, it was this calmness that made his words feel heartfelt. This, along with the dash of pride and arrogance that was unique to him, gave his words a reliable feeling-wouldn¡¯t he be able to protect his own woman?


    And with that, they were essentially done talking. The food was served, and they began to eat and drink. Amber¡¯s father normally only drank once or twice throughout the course of the year, but today, he actually tried topete against Ian in drinking!


    It was all to get a sense for Ian¡¯s actual personality-after all, one¡¯s moral character was invariably revealed under the influence of alcohol!


    But before he could see what Ian was like drunk, he fell drunk himself. And as he continued drinking and drinking, he eventually rolled underneath the table and fell asleep.

 Chapter 164. DO YOU REALLY LOVE ME?

    Amber¡¯s mother was very angry. ¡®Didn¡¯t he know what his alcohol tolerance was after all these years?¡¯


    Ian, on the other hand, nced at Amber, finally understanding whom she had inherited her pitiful alcohol tolerance from.


    Just like Amber, her father was a good drunk. He didn¡¯t make a mess or fuss about; he just wanted to sleep peacefully.


    He was tall and heavy, and generally, even two or three people wouldn¡¯t be enough to support him. Luckily, the location of the restaurant they were eating at was pretty convenient, as there was a hotel right upstairs. Ian helped them book a room, and afterwards, Amber¡¯s parents went there to rest.


    Once Amber¡¯s parents settled into the hotel room, Amber went out to send Ian off. The new year¡¯s celebrations in the city were hardly festive; despite the particrly morous lights and shiny ornaments decorating the storefronts, there were very few pedestrians wandering about.


    As the two of them stood by the roadside, Amber finally found a chance to privately speak to Ian. ¡°Sorry. My mother insisted on meeting you, so please excuse her actions.¡±


    Ian looked at her strangely. ¡°Why are you apologizing?¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    ¡°Is it because, despite getting into bed with me, you never nned on marrying me?¡±


    This question put Amber in somewhat of a bind. While she was indeed a doctor, she was also a woman, and it made her ufortable when he kept throwing around phrases like ¡°getting into bed together.¡±


    But she didn¡¯t shift her gaze away. She met his nce straight on and smiled as she replied, ¡°Today, when my father said that he¡¯d rather have me not marry than allow me suffer, you seemed very surprised, no?¡±


    Ian pursed his lips.


    Amber continued, saying, ¡°You were shocked because you realized that there are parents who are alright with their children not getting married, right? I don¡¯t know what your precise stance on this issue is, but I feel like people needing to do certain things when they reach a certain age is a preposterous notion.


    We only have one life, so why do we have to get in a rtionship or have to get married? The world is sorge, and our choices are so numerous. Neither love nor marriage are necessities in our modern world.¡±


    ¡°Just now, you asked me if, despite getting into bed with you, I had no ns to marry you. I can answer you now: yes. But marrying you and falling in love with you are twopletely different things, because I can choose whether or not I want to marry you, but I can¡¯t choose whether or not I love you. What about you, Ian? Are you chasing after me because you want to get married, or because you truly love me?¡±


    When Amber finished her monologue, she exuded a calm and unhurried aura, there was a slight smile on her face, and her gaze was gentle.


    She didn¡¯t want to give Ian any impression that she was interrogating him or causing any difort to his mental state.Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    She simply wanted him to let go of his ¡°life n¡±, and then take a moment to think about whether or not it was truly necessary to walk down such a path.


    Ian looked at her, and she looked right back at him. Under the resplendentmplight of the street, this man stood ramrod straight in his standard uniform, proud and aloof. The backdrop was pretty and dazzling, but his presence seemed to make everything felt muted, even somewhat illusory.


    ¡°Am I chasing after you because I want to get married, or because I truly love you?¡± As he slowly repeated Amber¡¯s words, he smiled, stretched his finger out, and cupped her cheek. ¡°You¡¯re not even pretty, and whenever I see this half-dimple of yours, I want to pull it off. To top it off, you¡¯re even a little stupid in your constant endeavor to do your best for everyone. So¡­ why am I doing this?¡±


    Amber looked on as he seriously reflected upon his actions. The anxiety even gave her a stomachache as she silently swallowed the blood that had welled up from hisments. She was just about to help him analyze his feelings when she suddenly felt a sharp pain in the area where he had touched her; Ian had leaned over and bit down on her ¡®ugly dimple¡¯.


    Amber instinctively tried to pull back, but couldn¡¯t do so. Ian had extended his arms and grabbed her by the waist, pulling her into his embrace.


    The expression on his face didn¡¯t change as he did this. It remained as cool as always, but his lips did take on a hint of a smile-but it might have been better if he didn¡¯t try to smile, as this hint would only make people terrified.


    Amber¡¯s head hurt because, given his shockingly shameless attitude, she was truly afraid that he would do something to her in public. Even worse, she didn¡¯t even know how she had set him off. She desperately pounded against his chest, doing her best to remind him of where they were. ¡°We¡¯re still on the streets.¡±


    ¡®So could you be more clear-headed, please?¡¯


    Ian smiled. When he smiled, his visage was truly beautiful; even a blossoming winter flower couldn¡¯tpare to its unusually refined gracefulness. He caught Amber¡¯s hand, and she tried to push him away, he trapped her between himself and a tall tree.


    With her locked firmly in ce, he stared at her, calm and unruffled. He put his jaw against her shoulder, and softly whispered into her ear, ¡°Are you scared? But why didn¡¯t you feel scared when you asked me that question?¡±


    His voice became even softer. ¡°You¡¯re still treating me as your patient, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    After he said this, he bit down on her ear, and Amber immediately felt like her whole body was about to go numb, and she quickly admitted defeat. ¡°No! I¡­ I just suddenly recalled it, and then casually asked¡­.¡±


    ¡°Is that right? He asked in a low voice as he rubbed himself against her face. His every action seemed to emanate danger, and they were also in a very suggestive position.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll also say something casually,¡± he said as he kissed her earlobe. ¡°Whenever I see you, I be hard and want to drag you into bed. Do you think that this is because I want to get married, or because I really love you?¡±


    Amber stood there stiffly, not daring to move a single muscle. Her head was aplete mess, and she didn¡¯t know what to say in the heat of the moment.


    But Ian couldn¡¯t wait, and he scraped his teeth against her earlobe, not too lightly or too heavily. ¡°Come on, say it.¡±

 Chapter 165. DANGEROUSLY SUGGESTIVE

    Amber couldn¡¯t help but shiver, feeling like a bolt of electricity had run through her entire body. Her face was entirely red, how on earth could she think properly under such a stressful situation? Finally unable to bear it any longer, she buried her head in his shoulder, and sullenly said, ¡°How can I answer when you¡¯re acting like this? It¡¯s too much to ask from me!¡±


    Ian made an ¡®Oh¡¯ sound.


    Amber seriously said, ¡°There are too many people around, and your handsomeness is distracting me, so I can¡¯t answer you.¡±


    Ian unexpectedly actually released her, looked at her, and then suddenly said, ¡°Tomorrow¡¯s the sixth.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    And then ¡­ there wasn¡¯t an ¡®and then¡¯ after that. He waved in the air, and a car that was parked nearby slowly drove over. Before he got into the car, he lightly pinched her cheek onest time. ¡°Alright, you should head back now. Your face is so hot that I could cook an egg on it.¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    She very much wanted to curse at him; who was the one who had made her face red in the first ce? But she could only choke her words down and watch as Ian got into the car and left.


    Only when she went upstairs into the hotel room did Amber finally realize what Ian had meant when he had suddenly stated tomorrow¡¯s date.


    Tomorrow was the sixth, the day of their nned date.


    So what was he trying to do by mentioning it so solemnly?


    Amber had a feeling that Ian was going to try something big tomorrow, and she was also very curious about what it would be. It was only now that she started to slightly understand Nancy¡¯s motivation for setting research as her career and her entire life, and Amber also suddenly understood Einstein¡¯s words, ¡°I¡¯m not particrly intelligent, just particrly curious.¡±


    Curiosity was a major driving force behind the progress of humanity.


    Amber¡¯s self-indulgent flights of fancy stopped in their tracks when she saw her mother. Her father had drunk himself to sleep, and Amber was worried that her mother wouldn¡¯t be able to handle him herself, so she had offered to sleep with her mother tonight.


    Ian had booked a suite, so there was no concern about the space.


    It was already quitete at night, but Amber¡¯s mother was still awake, as if she were waiting specially for her.


    Amber obediently sat down in front of her mother.


    Her mother looked at Amber, her daughter who was almost thirty years old. In her memories, she still seemed like the little girl who followed shyly behind her grandmother, the little girl who sobbed and begged them to send her grandmother to the hospital when she had a mental breakdown.


    But who would have known that, in the blink of an eye, that same little girl would grow up, be a doctor, form her own opinions, and move out of her parents¡¯ ce.


    As Amber¡¯s mother reminisced on the past, her heart softened, and even the anger that she had originally harbored about Amber¡¯s outwardlypliant but inwardly unruly behavior dissipated. She tenderly asked, ¡°It¡¯s going to be him, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Amber truthfully replied, ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡±


    Amber¡¯s mother was stunned by this reply.


    Her gentle mien broke down, and she stared at Amber with eyes wide open in disbelief. ¡°What do you mean, you don¡¯t know?¡±Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    When she had said that she would prefer for Amber to not marry than to suffer, that was only if Amber would actually suffer; otherwise, Amber¡¯s parents very much wanted her to quickly get married.


    It was a bother for them to have such old children at home.


    Amber smiled and lovingly grasped her mother¡¯s wrists. ¡°Mom, can you not be in so much of a hurry? I know that it gets harder and harder for a girl to find a suitor when she¡¯s older, but suitors also don¡¯t just drop down from the sky. So, rather than marry unhappily, I¡¯d rather not marry at all¡­.¡±


    But when Amber nced up, she saw her mother¡¯s murderous expression, prompting her to quickly change her tone. ¡°Although I saw this, I¡¯m seriously looking to get married. I can promise you this, I won¡¯t insist on remaining single like my professor. But will you also promise me not to be in such a rush? Something like marriage needs to go through the proper process, and who knows if something will go wrong during this process?¡±


    And, in this time and age, marriage was hardly a permanent thing-though Amber didn¡¯t dare say something like that to her mother¡¯s face.


    Amber¡¯s mother had heard what she wanted to hear, and thinking that Amber¡¯s logic was sound, said, ¡°That¡¯s true. It seems like all the rich kids tend to lead a somewhat chaotic life, so it¡¯s better for you to understand what you¡¯re getting yourself into.¡±


    But then she cautioned, ¡°As a woman, you have to take pride in yourself, and not just casually promise yourself to anyone. As a doctor, you shouldn¡¯t need me to repeat this.¡±


    After her word of caution, she looked Amber up and down, and her expression started to turn to disdain. ¡°You should also dress up a little, and buy some beautiful clothes to wear. Look at this drab attire of yours! Those who don¡¯t know you might even think that you¡¯re a country bumpkin from who knows where, but you have a doctorate, and you¡¯re even a doctor at a famous hospital¡­.¡±


    Her mother¡¯s nagging made Amber want to fall asleep, and she propped up her lower jaw to keep herself awake as she thought about how Ian had actually noticed that she was still treating him like a patient¡­ Then had he also noticed that she was a little moved by his wooing attempts?


    If they continued down this road, Amber felt that it would be very dangerous for her. If their doctor-patient rtionship were to veer from the professional and to the personal, its failure would be extremely hurtful to both of them.


    But she didn¡¯t actually resist the change in their rtionship, perhaps because Ian¡¯s beauty was just too alluring. At this moment in time, Amber was treating Ian just like a normal man, trying to love him and be loved by him.

 Chapter 166. DAUGHTER’S BOYFRIEND

    Because Amber¡¯s father was drunk, he slept very well through the first half of the night. But after that, he started making a big fuss, and grumbled about his head hurting for so long that Amber was forced to run out, buy him medicine, and then give him a massage. Only then was he able to sleep again.


    So she woke up in thete morning, and the first thing she saw was her mother sitting by her bedside, holding her phone, and chatting endlessly with someone unknown.


    And she must have been feeling pretty good, as there wasn¡¯t even a trace of the evil stepmother¡¯s face that she had worn until finally meeting Ian yesterday. She even greeted Amber particrly warmly. ¡°Good morning, daughter.¡±


    Amber was caught by surprise, speechless.


    She felt as if the mother in front of her was a fake. Her father¡¯s behaviorst night had made her mom deathly angry, but in the morning, she wasn¡¯t even lecturing her husband, and instead even felt good enough to be waiting by her daughter¡¯s bedside¡­. What was going on?


    Amber rubbed her temples. ¡°Good morning. How¡¯s Dad doing?¡±


    ¡°Sleeping like a pig. I can¡¯t be bothered to deal with him.¡±


    Amber stilled for a moment before climbing out of bed to check on her father. Good, his temperature was normal, his heart rate was normal, and his face was normal despite causing a big fussst night, he at least hadn¡¯t damaged his body with his drinking.


    Amber went into the restroom to clean her face and wash up, but she didn¡¯t have a change of clothes prepared. So, she had to wear her old clothes from yesterday, though she was able to wash her hair, which was feeling gross and sticky.


    When she came out, she saw that her mother was still chatting with someone on her phone. Amber found it strange, and sat down by her mother¡¯s side as she dried her hair. ¡°Mom, who¡¯re you talking with¡­.¡±


    When Amber nced at the phone screen and saw that the nickname of the person in the chat was Sister Feng, one of her mother¡¯s best friends, she rxed. But then she heard a snippet of their conversation and became speechless again. ¡°Why are you telling her about all this?¡±


    Her mother was bragging to her close friend. ¡°Ah, my daughter has a boyfriend now. He¡¯s a really, really handsomed, who even has a good family background¡­?


    What happened to not rushing and taking things slowly?


    Her mother fiercely responded, ¡°What do you know? Your Auntie Yance said that it¡¯d be very hard for you to get married because you¡¯re too well educated and your job¡¯s too good. So, I just wanted to provoke her a little.¡± She pushed Amber aside. ¡°If you¡¯re done packing, then head back first. Go home and dress up. Aren¡¯t you going to go on a date with Ianter?¡±


    Amber was shocked. ¡°How did you know that?¡±


    ¡°He told me. Look.¡± She handed Amber her phone and tapped on another conversation.


    Amber¡¯s mother. ¡°Good morning, thanks foring yesterday.¡±


    The other person. ¡°It was nothing.¡±


    ¡°Are you busy today?¡±Original content from N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m going on a date with Amber in the afternoon.¡±


    The nickname that Amber¡¯s mother had given this other person was ¡®Daughter¡¯s Boyfriend, Ian Axton¡¯.


    Amber caressed her forehead in distress. She didn¡¯t even know that the two of them had added each other on Whatsapp, and this gave her a bad premonition.


    In truth, her premonitions were startlingly urate, because in the future, Amber¡¯s mother and ¡®Daughter¡¯s Boyfriend, Ian Axton¡¯ would have many conversations, each of them simple and short, just like the following example:


    On a certain day, Amber¡¯s mother asked, ¡®Did the two of you not go out today?¡¯


    Ian Axton, ¡®We did.¡¯


    On another day, Amber¡¯s mother asked, ¡®No ns today?¡¯


    Ian Axton, ¡®I¡¯m apanying her to look at her patients.¡¯


    And on yet another day, Amber¡¯s mother asked, ¡®The two of you aren¡¯t together?¡¯


    Ian Axton, ¡®We had a fight, and she¡¯s ignoring me.¡¯


    He always responded very quickly and never hid anything from her. Amber¡¯s mother felt that he was far more honest than her daughter!


    But all this would happen in the future, and even if Amber felt a bad premonition from this, she couldn¡¯t simply ask her mother to unfriend Ian. All she could do was say, ¡°Don¡¯t bother him too much. He¡¯s a very busy person.¡±


    Amber¡¯s mother quickly responded, ¡°Do you think that I don¡¯t know that?¡± She looked at her daughter superciliously. ¡°Worry about yourself! Quickly go home and change your clothes. How can you go out and meet anyone like that?¡±


    And so Amber was chased out of the door heartlessly.


    At least Amber was able to take sce in her father being all right. Amber then called Ruby, had him pick the two of them up, and then returned home as her mother hadmanded.


    ***


    But instead of going home right away, she instead went to the hospital first. On the sixth day of the new year, the psychiatry department normally wouldn¡¯t have been very busy, but this year, there was a bigmotion in the department.


    On the third, they had epted a new patient who was suffering from an emotional impediment. When she first entered the hospital, she was only a little depressed.


    But on the morning of the sixth, as the doctor on duty, Dr. Beryl Alva, was performing psychotherapy on her, that child had suddenly exploded, saying that the doctor had teased her with vulgar words¡­.


    Because the girl hadn¡¯t been exhibiting any serious symptoms when she first entered the hospital, she had been assigned to an unrestricted ward. And since her family was worried that she wouldn¡¯t limate to her new surroundings well, they visited her daily.


    And they had been present on the morning she had made her allegations. When they saw her make such a big fuss and repeat those hurtful words that were incongruous with what a teenager would say, they immediately believed her. In their anger, they rushed into the therapy room and started making a big fuss too.


    When Amber arrived, the fight was still going strong. The patient¡¯s family did admit that their child was mentally ill, but they had never heard her say anything akin to those words before, and what¡¯s more, would a teenager even understand what they meant? So, it could only have been the doctor who did something to the girl, and the hospital had to provide them with an exnation.

 Chapter 167. WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF HE LOST CONTROL?

    Beryl was red-faced from arguing with the patient¡¯s family while the nurses were trying to cate the other patients and their family members. Because it was still a holiday, there weren¡¯t many doctors on duty, and as the used party, he was clearly waning in strength as he tried to argue against three people alone.


    His only piece of evidence was the security footage, but that didn¡¯t contain any audio. In the end, Beryl had no way to prove his innocence despite his desires.


    As the argument continued to grow more and more heated, the nurses even wanted to call the department head over. It was at the point that Amber finally stepped in. She walked over and authoritatively said, ¡°I have a method to definitely prove whether or not Dr. Beryl actually said those words.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Beryl¡¯s eyes lit up and as he wiped the sweat from his forehead, he ignored his earlier feud with her and called out to her. ¡°Dr. Camille!¡± It was a rare sight to behold, him looking at her like a savior.


    Amber smiled at him while the patient¡¯s family members looked at her suspiciously. ¡°You? What if you can¡¯t prove it?¡±


    Amber obstinately replied, ¡°If I can¡¯t do it, then I¡¯ll stop being a doctor. How about that?¡±


    Beryl became flustered and difited. ¡°Dr. Camille!¡±


    Amber ignored him, continuing to look at the patient¡¯s family. ¡°Give me two minutes, alright?¡±


    Of course that was fine. And with the patient¡¯s family¡¯s approval, Amber put on her doctor¡¯s coat and went into the ward with the family and Beryl.


    Because of the earliermotion, the patient was currently staying in a room with a single bed. She was sitting on it, and her face revealed traces of unease.


    Judging just by her outer appearance, she was a beautiful girl, with an oval face in the shape of a goose egg and elegant eyebrows like willow leaves. Her skin was a pale white and her eyes were big, giving her look a delicate and refined look.


    Amber made Beryl and the patient¡¯s family members wait outside. ¡°You guys can all wait for me out here.¡± And then she pushed open the door and entered alone.


    Beryl saw Amber walk in front of the girl, spread her palms, and say something he couldn¡¯t make out. Then, the girl became angry and yelled at Amber.  ¡°I¡¯m not ill! I want to go home! Why won¡¯t any of you believe that I¡¯m fine? Would a mentally ill person know how to frame a doctor, to think as clearly as I have?¡±


    Everyone understood everything now, because the door to the ward wasn¡¯tpletely closed tightly, so the girl¡¯s words reached those standing outside.


    Amber was even able to pacify the girl after that. In just two minutes, she calmly came back out, as if nothing had happened inside.


    It was almost fantastical.


    Beryl¡¯s face was red in embarrassment. It seemed like he finally understood the difference between him and Amber, and that perhaps it wasn¡¯t just those extra few years that he had spent as a doctoral student.


    After resolving this affair, Amber went to check on her own patient. Beryl wasn¡¯t thick-skinned enough to ask Amber what she had done, and it was one of the nurses on duty who ended up doing so. ¡°Dr. Camille, how did you do it?¡±


    Amber casually replied, ¡°It was very easy. I just showed her some pills, and then I told her that I was her new doctor, here to give her medicine.¡±


    ¡°Just like that?¡±


    ¡°Yes, just like that.¡±


    ¡°Then how did you calm her down?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I told her that if she calmed down, then I would tell her the quickest way for her to go home.¡±


    ¡°It was that easy?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that easy.¡± Actually, was it really that easy? No. It was just that Amber¡¯s luck was pretty good, and that the patient¡¯s mental illness wasn¡¯t too serious. She knew what she was doing, and she was very clearheaded; it was just that she couldn¡¯t control herself.


    Amber was suddenly reminded of Ian. He also knew what he was doing, and he was also very clear-headed, but he had always been able to control himself very well.


    ¡®If¡­ he didn¡¯t control himself so strictly, and lost control even slightly¡­ What would happen?¡¯


    It was quite hard for Ian to lose control of himself because there weren¡¯t many things that could interest him and provoke a strong reaction from him. This was magnified by the fact that he treated trying to pick Amber up as one of his responsibilities. He did lose control sometimes, but those incidents were too small for anything to really happen.


    ¡®I won¡¯t actually get into bed with him, would I? Thinking about this wouldn¡¯t be of any use.¡¯ As she continued to think about this subject, Amber started daydreaming instead of continuing her conversation with the nurse.


    In truth, they were both very busy, and even finding time for these few snatches of conversation was difficult.


    Even though Amber was finished with her duties, she didn¡¯t feel at ease. In her anxiousness, she visited her patients¡¯ wards again. As she met with them, she talked with them in passing about their lives and dreams.


    Elly was a little more troublesome than the others, as she was unwilling to even try to interact with strangers. Because Amber had gone on vacation for a few days and hadn¡¯t seen her during that time, she was no longer willing to respond to Amber.


    She wordlessly held onto her sketchbook at the head of her bed. No matter what Amber said, Elly just grunted in response. Only when Amber was about to leave did Elly secretly turn around to look at her.


    Everything seemed to be going fine, and of course, no one really cared about the earlier incident with Beryl. The doctors in the psychiatry department encountered far too many strange things and people, and it was even normal for them to be scolded or beaten.Original content from N?velDrama.Org.


    The worst case was when a new doctor had almost been molested while conducting psychotherapy with her patient. Meeting the patients¡¯ strange family members was even moremon, so Amberpletely put the matter aside after the incident.


    When she returned to her office and started flipping through her medical records and books, the only thing on her mind was thinking of a way to stimte Ian¡¯s emotions.


    But the more she thought about it, the more she felt that this was like trying to pluck a hair from a lion¡¯s mane.


    She needed a method that would be both precise and safe, and this required meticulous nning.

 Chapter 168. SHARP-MOUTHED

    As she was pondering over the conundrum, the phone rang; it was a call from Silvia.


    ¡°I had a big fight with someone! Gosh, I¡¯m so angry. Come and apany me out, please?¡±


    ¡®Fighting with someone while celebrating the new year?¡¯ Amber was impressed with her friend¡¯s ability to pick fights. As she continued to flip through the records in her hands, she smiled and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°Some scumbag was spreading rumors about how Trysta and Frank are going to get a divorce. Hmph, I just talked to Trysta this morning! She¡¯s pregnant and resting well at home, with Frank by her side. You tell me, isn¡¯t it immoral to curse someone out of nowhere during the new year? Of course I had to yell at him!¡±


    Amber stilled at Silvia¡¯s rant. ¡°Frank¡¯s staying with Trysta?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right! The two of them even reaffirmed their love for each other in front of me¡­ Ah, it feels like I¡¯m about to have a bad year. On the first day of the new year, I had a big fight with my mom. Then, today, if you discount the fact that I witnessed a public disy of affection in the morning, I got into yet another fight with someone. Amber,fort me!¡±


    ¡°Alright. But I already have a date in the afternoon, so would you want to tag along?¡±


    ¡°That Axton fellow?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Silvia was somewhat embarrassed. ¡°Is that okay?¡±


    Amber confidently replied, ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal.¡±


    ¡®Even if Ian wanted to try something, the presence of a stranger should dampen his enthusiasm a bit.¡¯


    ¡®And given how lonely that man was, he needed someone loud like Silvia around.¡¯Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    And so Silvia happily epted. ¡°Then it¡¯s settled! It¡¯s a good thing that he¡¯s handsome. That way, I¡¯ll be able to sneak a few nces at him and recalibrate myself.¡± After confirming the date and time, she cheerfully hung up.


    Amber then called Trysta, but she didn¡¯t pick up. Rather, her mother did, and she joyfully told Amber, ¡°She went for a walk with Frank. Ah, she¡¯s probably thought it through by now, and I hope that the two of them will be able to have a happy life together.


    Everyone makes mistakes now and then, right? It must have been really hard on you during this period of time. I¡¯d like to treat you to a meal whenever you¡¯re free.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Please let me know if anythinges up.¡±


    Amber sighed, not knowing what was on Trysta¡¯s mind. But regardless of what Trysta was doing on the surface, Amber didn¡¯t believe for one bit that she could overlook that incident and forgive Frank.


    Trysta had never been a magnanimous person, and she wasn¡¯t someone who would do this even for her baby.


    But Amber also didn¡¯t have a better treatment n for Trysta than to just check up on her regrly. No matter how worried Amber was for Trysta, she couldn¡¯t do anything about it for the moment. She could only hope that Trysta would really think things through-it would be fine as long as she didn¡¯t take any drastic measures.


    With most of her taskspleted, Amber went home after tidying up her desk. She then casually ate lunch, took a bath, and napped for a short while. At 3 PM in the afternoon, she got up and did half an hour of yoga before leisurely changing and preparing to go out.


    While she put her outfit together, she recalled her mother¡¯s words about her fashion sense and inspected her reflection in the mirror. She usually wore loose clothes forfort, and naturally, all the clothes she had worn this season were shirts and sweaters.


    If it was a bit colder outside, then she might put on some extrayers. If it was warmer, then a windbreaker or a jacket.


    Since she was going on a date, she should really treat her attire a bit more seriously. After some careful consideration, she picked out a ck dress and a bright red wool jacket topliment it. As her mother had said, Amber very seldomly wore bright colors.


    This jacket was something that Ruby had gifted her during thest new year, and she had hung it up in her wardrobe for an entire year without ever wearing it.


    When she tried it on, she felt that it was fine, and that it was prettypatible with the outside celebratory atmosphere of the new year. Pleased with the look, she had chosen to wear it.


    And since she had put special care into her outfit, she might as well style her hair too into a simple bun, which was simple, convenient, and not much of a hassle.


    After she finished getting ready, she walked outside and tried to hail a taxi. For the entire first month of the new year, finding a free taxi was a difficult ordeal. Amber waited for quite a while, but the taxi that she was waiting for never showed up. However, Beryl did.


    He was getting off work then, and when he saw Amber dressed all in red and standing by the roadside, he hesitated for a moment before pulling up to her.


    ¡°Where are you going? I can drop you off.¡± Even though he said this, he felt somewhat ufortable, for no other reason than the fact that the two of them had been fighting against each other for a long time. Thus, acting amicably with her made him feel very conflicted inside.


    Amber was also a little shocked by his offer, but she quickly regained her calm and asked, ¡°Where are you headed?¡±


    ¡°Anywhere¡¯s fine. In any case, I¡¯ll drop you off wherever you need to go!¡± When he saw that she wasn¡¯t nning on responding, he became even more impatient. ¡°Stop dilly dallying and get in the car. I¡¯m not supposed to stop here!¡±


    Without any real choice, Amber could only hurriedly get into the car.


    As the two of them had studied under the same professor and were even colleagues now, the rtionship between them should have been pretty good. However, they had never been able to mesh well.


    And besides their ipatibility, Beryl often obstructed her at work and spoke to her with barbed words, like right now. When Amber gave him the location she was going to, he briefly nced at her before sourlymenting, ¡°You¡¯re meeting up with your rich boyfriend again, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    And then, ¡°I thought that the kind of men you liked would bepatible with you in heart and soul. I never thought that you¡¯d be one of those women who prized wealth and material possessions.¡±


    Amber wanted to ignore him, but when she realized that he could keep talking the whole way even without a word from her, she finally replied exasperatedly. ¡°Senior, you¡¯re also a rich man. Why¡¯re you discriminating against the wealthy? If you¡¯re saying all this because you¡¯re thankful for my help, then let me tell you that there¡¯s really no need.


    I really didn¡¯t do much. And if it¡¯s not because you¡¯re thankful, then it¡¯s even more unnecessary because we don¡¯t even know each other that well.¡±


    Amber¡¯s words made Beryl¡¯s face turn green, but he did shut up, and the world was quiet once again.


    Amber wasn¡¯t at all afraid of offending him because she was quite confident that, despite his caustic mouth and somewhat limited abilities, he wasn¡¯t a bad person at heart.


    But she didn¡¯t expect that he would be so indefatigable today. After Amber got out of his car, he seemed to have suddenly thought of an irrepressible question. He followed her out, pulled her back from behind, and calmly asked, ¡°Amber, do you look down on me?!¡±

 Chapter 169. A MAN AND WOMAN ALONE, WHAT COULD THEY BE DOING?

    ¡°Amber, do you look down on me?¡±


    Amber had no idea what he was insinuating. ¡°You¡¯re overthinking it.¡± She tried to struggle free, but was unable to do so. Because the two were both good-looking, they normally drew a significant amount of attention, and the minor tiff between them immediately drew much more.


    Billy and Ian had arrived at the building quite a while ago, with Billy having been called over by Silvia. The two of them had met at Trysta¡¯s birthday banquet, and after that, they had developed a certain camaraderie.


    Silvia wanted to stare at a handsome man, but she also didn¡¯t want to be blinded by their disys of affection alone. So after she received an invitation from Amber, she had called Billy up. ¡°I¡¯m going to be a third wheel for my sister. Do you want to be one for your brother too?¡±


    Billy was very, very bored from visiting his friends and family for the New Year, so he had eagerlye over, even hitching a ride with Ian.


    The two men were currently sitting by a table near the window, and they suddenly heard someone say, ¡°There are two people quarrelling downstairs.¡±


    Billy loved to gawk, so he excitedly turned around and looked at the scene before eximing in surprise, ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t that Dr. Camille? A man and woman alone, what could they be doing?¡±


    Amber was currently being held back by Beryl, as if they were ying out the role of a couple trying to settle a dispute.


    She was clueless and exasperated as to what Beryl¡¯s intentions were. However, because of her good temper and her inability to break free from his grasp, she decided to stop struggling in order to avoid gathering more attention. She looked straight at Beryl and asked, ¡°What¡¯re you doing?¡±


    Beryl actually didn¡¯t know what he was doing either. But for some reason, he felt extremely stifled whenever he looked at Amber. ¡°There¡¯s no reason. I just want to ask you something. If the two of us don¡¯t really know each other that well, then why did you help me out in the morning?¡±


    Amber was speechless¡­ ¡®What, would you rather have me not help you?¡¯


    ¡°You even said that I was rich earlier.¡± Beryl looked at her somewhat strangely, and she became even more lost. ¡°Amber, you like me, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°WHAT?!¡±


    Two voices shouted the same line in sync; one was from Amber, and the other¡­ Amber and Beryl both turned around to see a shiny and polished bald head standing close to them with a stupefied face.


    Billy turned around and exaggerated to Ian, ¡°There¡¯s clearly something going on between these two! This fellow says that Dr. Camille likes him.¡± Then, pointing at Beryl, he said with his characteristic arrogance, ¡°Dr. Camille, are you blind? Would you really toss such a rich, powerful, handsome guy aside for some useless passerby?¡±


    From start to end, he didn¡¯t even look at Beryl, only looking at Amber with an expression that seemed like he was about to burst intoughter.


    Amber massaged her forehead out of annoyance, and Beryl¡¯s face turned ashen. He wasn¡¯t dumb and could clearly see that Billy and Ian weren¡¯t any ordinary men. They weren¡¯t dressed quite as well as he was, but the atmosphere around themmanded a presence independent of their attire.


    Beryl wasn¡¯t particrly aplished, but he did have some experience with reading people.


    But as a nouveau riche himself, who had grown up with everyone acquiescing to his whims, it would take more than an intimidating aura to make him back down.


    Furthermore, he didn¡¯t think that he had to back down. These two fellows who had suddenly appeared might not be simple, but what right did they have to stop his conversation with Amber?


    He and Amber were colleagues and students under the same professor, and this was as close a rtionship as you could get.


    When his thoughts reached this point, Beryl¡¯s initial anger dissipated, and he instead took a gentle approach. ¡°There are too many bystanders here, so it¡¯d be inconvenient to keep talking. When we get back to the hospital ¡­.¡±Original content from N?velDrama.Org.


    Beryl couldn¡¯t continue, because Ian had already walked up to Amber, kissed her on the face, and said, ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go wash your hands. They¡¯re filthy.¡±


    Beryl was caught off guard and rendered speechless.


    Even Billy¡¯s thoughts were dyed ¡­ ¡®Damn!¡¯


    Ian ignored the bystanders¡¯ reactions. After he finished speaking, he casually nced down at Beryl. He instantly felt a chill shoot down his spine, and subconsciously released Amber¡¯s hand.


    When Beryl finally reacted, his embarrassment turning into anger, Amber had already left with Ian.


    ***


    Ian did exactly as he had said, actually bringing Amber to the washroom.


    As she washed her hands, he stood by her side, doing nothing else but look at her.


    Amber felt very self-conscious, and she washed her hands with the same mentality and rigor as a surgeon before an operation: from her fingertips to her elbows, making sure to reach into every crevasse and under every fingernail. When she was done, she stretched them out in front of him, and asked with a smile, ¡°Is it clean?¡±


    She was willing to humor these small habits of his that didn¡¯t matter too much to her.


    Ian looked at her hands. Under the light, they were white and wless, just like a beautiful piece of jade that had just been polished.


    A dark shadow flitted through his eyes, but his face remained impassive. ¡°Wash your face too.¡±


    When Amber had put her outfit on, she had also put on a thinyer of makeup. And upon hearing Ian¡¯s order, she replied, ¡°My face isn¡¯t dirty. Why should I wash it?¡±


    Ian dispiritedly replied, ¡°All the better to smooch with.¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    She pretended to not have heard him clearly, leaned towards the mirror, and turned her head left and right as she closely examined herself. ¡°It¡¯s not besmirched in the slightest. It¡¯s perfectly clean.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Ian harrumped, suddenly leaned over, and bit down on her face. ¡°And how about now?¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    She silently leaned down and washed her face clean.

 Chapter 170. DOES THE KISS FEEL GOOD?

    Ian stood by her side, looking at both of them through the mirror. His gaze was still as clear and cold as always, a gaze that Amber was used to seeing. However, even now, she didn¡¯t dare to stare into his dark eyes.


    They were emotionless, so cold and grim that it made her heart palpitate.


    She turned away, and Ian rested his jaw on her shoulder. ¡°Better to smooch now?¡±


    ¡­. Feeling stifled by his requests and slightly out of sorts, Amber reluctantly replied, ¡°Yes.¡±


    Then Ian smiled slightly. His lips didn¡¯t move much, but the atmosphere wasn¡¯t as tense anymore. He wouldn¡¯t say something as dramatic and cliche as ¡°How obedient¡±. Instead, he was far more direct, tilting his head, and briefly licking her dimple before gently turning her head and kissing her.


    This was perhaps his fiercest kiss yet. He first ground his teeth against her lips, to the point that Amber tasted a tang of iron in her mouth. Then, he pried her lips open, and his tongue forcefully roughly scoured her mouth as itshed against her tongue.


    ¡°Are you mad?¡± She only realized it now, as she tried to force her words out even with Ian¡¯s tongue stuck in her mouth.


    Could there really be such a coincidence? Just earlier, she had been thinking about how she could safely but urately stir up his emotions. But now, he seemed to already be all stirred up, as his heartbeat was racing.


    Amber was normally bad at perceiving the mood, but at this moment, she forced herself to be calm, grasped his face with both of her hands, pulled it backwards, and with a burning gaze, she looked at him and asked. ¡°Are you really mad?¡±


    She felt happier the longer she looked at him.


    This time, Ian was the one who didn¡¯t have anything to say.


    He didn¡¯t respond at all, using his actions to tell her what ¡®truly mad¡¯ meant.


    ***


    Amber was almost devoured alive by Ian in the washroom. As a result, when she exited, her body was filled with wounds.


    The most obvious one was her broken lip, and there were also clear teeth marks on her neck.


    The situation was exacerbated even more by the clothes she was wearing today. The dress was a V-neck, the cor of her coat was loose, and she hadn¡¯t brought a scarf with her, leaving her absolutely no way to hide the imprints.


    By the time Amber got away, Silvia had arrived. But when she saw the ¡®marks of love¡¯ on Amber¡¯s body, she stopped, put all thoughts of hot guys out of her mind for a moment, and bawled out, ¡°Amber, do you have to be so immoral? It¡¯s fine that you called me over to be a third wheel, and it¡¯s fine even if you didn¡¯te find me and made me wait here for half the day. But to shock my single self like that the moment I got here, is that really appropriate?¡±


    Amber helplessly shoved a piece of cake into her mouth to shut her up.


    Billy also started chuckling when he saw Ian. After he finishedughing, he started praising Ian. ¡°You¡¯re really amazing! Even your skill at dealing with chicks has improved by leaps and bounds. I saw that fellow leave with a green face,pletely wrecked!¡±


    He continued staring at Ian, looking up, down, left, and right. ¡°Are you really the Ian Axton I know? The one with a negative emotional quotient? How on earth did you think of this?¡±


    It was time to eat, and Ian sat down calmly. He was seriously looking at the menu,pletely ignoring Billy.


    Amber didn¡¯t want to respond to him either. Tonight, she was prepared to practice ignoring everyone and everything. So she sat there, holding a ss of water and unresponsive sipping from it.


    Even as she tried to dampen her anger, a shameful arousal welled up in her heart.


    Billy told Silvia a wildly embellished version of the events that had just transpired, and his conclusion was particrly smugly this time. ¡°Have you seen  Earth¡¯? Back there, Boss Axton gave off the image of a lion running out of the savannah, running over, and peeing to mark his territory!¡±


    Upon hearing Billy¡¯s ¡®charming¡¯ and extremely innovative word choice, Amber involuntarily started tough, and the mouthful of water that she hadn¡¯t yet swallowed almost sprayed onto the entire table.


    Silvia also clutched her stomach,ughing until she fell down and rolled underneath the table.


    When the three other people heard Billy¡¯s crude wordy, only Ian remained calm and indifferent. He showed no reaction even as he watched Amber spit out the water in her mouth.


    There was no disdain in his gaze, only some helplessness and exasperation; his attitude was like a parent ruefully thinking about how silly his child was.


    And then he summarily gged a waiter down and started ordering dishes. When Ian ordered food, he wouldn¡¯t ask for anyone¡¯s opinions and they would have to volunteer it themselves if they wanted a say. With four people sharing eight dishes, there was almost surely one that would suit each person¡¯s taste.


    After he finished ordering, he finally spared the others another nce. He first looked at Silvia, who was still rolling on the floor,ughing, and criticized her. ¡°You fool.¡± And then he followed suit with Amber. ¡°You too.¡±


    As for Billy ¡­ He was already used to his dumb antics, so he couldn¡¯t even be bothered to chastise his actions.


    Silvia couldn¡¯t ept being one-sidedly scolded. She quickly recovered, picked herself up from the floor, and started picking a fight even as she rubbed her stomach. ¡°Why¡¯re you scolding us like that?¡± She then pointed at Billy. ¡°He called you a beast, so why aren¡¯t you criticizing him?¡±


    Billy indignantly cried out, ¡°When did I say that? Don¡¯t malign me! I was clearly praising Boss Axton¡¯s domineering and manly aura.¡±


    Silvia booed and then tried to think of aeback, but was unable to. She remained somewhat at a loss for what to do before Amber calmly took over. ¡°A lion¡¯s natural instinct is to mark its territory with its piss, a bestial behavior. Byparing Ian to a lion, aren¡¯t you essentially calling him a beast? There¡¯s nothing wrong with that logic.¡±Original content from N?velDrama.Org.


    She was just trying to get back at Billy for his earlier nder that something was going on between her and Beryl.


    When Ian heard Amber¡¯s scathing rebuttal, his lips curled as he shot a provocative look toward her. ¡°Calling me bestial is nothing. There are much more animalistic things I can do. Do you want to see?¡±


    Amber¡¯s mouth was left hanging open.


    ¡®What was he doing? Spouting such immoral words with such a serious expression¡­ How shameless!¡¯ She twisted her face away in rejection.

 Chapter 171. THE DEVIOUS MR. AXTON

    Silvia was simrly speechless.


    She also twisted her face away, but then she started putting on a y with Billy. ¡°Hey Billy, have you been blinded?¡±


    Billy, without missing a beat, replied, ¡°I¡¯ve been blinded!¡±


    ¡°So, why are we here again?¡±


    ¡°To roll around like the good little third wheels we are, of course.¡±


    It was as if the two of them had be an impromptuedy duo; after finally getting over their differences, they had teamed up against Amber and Ian.


    Silvia thenically described Amber at length. ¡°They say that she¡¯s a doctor at Presbiterian, which sounds prestigious, to be sure. However, her work environment¡¯s a nightmare. If she¡¯s not careful, then a crazy guy might run up to her and say ¡®Doctor, doctor, my intestines have fallen out! Please help me pick them back up.¡¯ My goodness, I¡¯m all scared stiff just by that thought! I went to visit her once, but I¡¯ll never go back again.¡±


    And Billy¡¯s rendition of Ian was, ¡°He¡¯s an old virgin, old and pitiful, and he¡¯s never chased a single girl even at his advanced age. You might not believe me when I say this, but a few days ago, he even asked me this ¡®What¡¯s the right way to woo a girl?¡¯ And then I had to patiently teach him that there were three things he had to do daily, give gifts, go on dates, and kiss!¡±


    Amber¡¯s eyes widened in shock. ¡°!!!¡±


    No wonder Ian had changed so much so quickly, Amber thought that he had been reading cheesy romance novels, but in truth, it was this dog headed buddy of his that had spurred him on!


    After this revtion of hers, she heard Billy continue to say, ¡°Not long after that, he asked me what he should do if she didn¡¯t ept flowers, food, appliances, jewelry, clothes!


    At that moment, I really wanted to crack open his head and take a look at his brain for myself to see how he¡¯s able to be such a shrewd businessman and yet such a foolish boyfriend. It¡¯s truly maddening!¡±


    Silvia threw her head back and uproariouslyughed again. This time, she even bit down on her sleeves, her eyes gleaming as she kept asking, ¡°And then what?¡±


    ¡°And then I said, ¡®Don¡¯t you know even this much? If she doesn¡¯t want anything else, then clearly, what she wants is you. Why don¡¯t you gift yourself to her?''¡±Original content from N?velDrama.Org.


    Amber couldn¡¯t even retort.


    Silvia pped the table. ¡°And then? And then?¡±


    Amber was speechless. When she saw that Ian had no intention of stopping this conversation at all, she could only speak up and say, ¡°Is it really appropriate for the two of you to discuss this in front of the involved parties?¡±


    And then she was pushed aside by Silvia¡¯s palm. ¡°Go to the side and don¡¯t make a fuss!¡± Then, freed from distractions, she continued spurring Billy on.


    The rest of Billy¡¯s story was exactly as Amber guessed, it was his damn idea all along to have Ian buy a big red nket, cover himself up with it, and then gift the bundle to her to unwrap!


    ¡°Restoring the olden days of a candlelit wedding night. How beautiful, how romantic!¡±


    ¡®Romantic, my ass!¡¯ But when she recalled the ¡®Ng¡¯ expression she had made that night, Amber unfortunately started blushing again. She shot another look at the calm and collected Ian. ¡°Are you really not going to stop them from gossipping?¡±


    Ian peered at her curiously. ¡°Why would I care?¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    She hadpletely forgotten that he thought differently from a normal person, and that he didn¡¯t care about things like this at all.


    Billy and Silviaughed loudly at Ian¡¯s response, bing even more unrestrained. Ian had been very busy in the past couple of weeks, as he had to both deal withpany matters and set up dates with Amber. So, Billy had been eagerly awaiting the results of his devious n.


    When he saw Amber¡¯s reaction, he easily deduced that Ian had indeed done as he had instructed. He smiled exaggeratedly as he directly asked Ian, ¡°What happened after? Was the effect good?¡±


    Ian opened his mouth and was about to answer, but Amber immediately guessed what he was about to say. She tossed all her misgivings to the wind and ran over to mp his mouth shut. ¡°You better not say anything!¡±


    Ian raised his eyebrows in surprise, taking the opportunity to pull her waist toward him. The faint medicinal smell lingering on her body was calming, and he still seemed to be affected by their little encounter in the washroom.


    As if moving purely on instinct, his head arched over to her ear, where he lightly sniffed her before softly whispering, ¡°Are you going to call them over next time?¡±


    Amber was somewhat shocked, turning around to look at him properly. He looked back at her coolly. Although he didn¡¯t say anything else, Amber could see the threat in his gaze.


    ¡®My ¡­ my goodness. Who knew that Mr. Axton was such a devious person!¡¯


    Amber wanted to cry, but she had to instead obediently admit her wrongdoing. Otherwise, if he really told everyone what happened that night, she would be humiliated, alright? She sped her hands together, softly pleading for mercy.


    Billy and Silvia saw that Ian was about to sumb to Amber¡¯s antics, but how could they let that happen that easily? They still hadn¡¯t heard the juiciest part of the story yet.


    Billy made an emotional appeal. ¡°You¡¯re not going to act like this, are you, Ian? I spent so much effort helping you, by answering all of your questions and doing whatever you asked. It was all to support you chasing your girlfriend, and you- you- you ¡­ Are you so heartless that you would leave me stranded without a conclusion?¡±


    Silvia, on the other hand, tempted him with an equally alluring trade. ¡°Mr. Axton, you want to get together with the girl you¡¯ve been wooing, right? Ask me, ask me! I¡¯ve been friends with Amber for over a decade, and I even know her favorite underwear color.¡±


    Amber was struck speechless ¡­ with friends like these, she was seconds away from flipping the table over and attacking them!


    Luckily, after Amber had promised him, Ian quickly dealt with the two of them. After letting loose a cold snort, he dissed Billy first. ¡°If you¡¯re so capable of romance, then why are you still single even after all these years?¡±


    Billy ¡­ vanquished.


    And then he turned his attention to Silvia, his gaze disdainful. ¡°If I wanted to know what color underwear she¡¯s wearing, then why would I ask you? Can¡¯t I just undress her myself?¡±


    Silvia ¡­ vanquished.


    When Amber was the only one left alive, she obediently sat back in her chair, looking at him with a  expression.


    But Ian nhless turned his gaze to her next. Though his facial features were sharp, his expression was somewhat gentle.


    ¡°On our next date, if you bring another wagon of third wheels along ¡­.¡± He leaned in close to deliver his punchline, softly saying, ¡°I¡¯ll ravage you!¡±


    Amber ¡­ also vanquished.

 Chapter 172. BOSS AXTON’S GETTING A LITTLE UPSET

    After the three of them had each been trampled by Ian in turn, they stopped bawling and yelling. Coincidentally, it was then that their food was served, and they obediently picked up their chopsticks and started eating.


    Amber sat with Ian to her left and Silvia to her right. After a while, when Silvia regained her vigor, she stretched a finger out and poked Billy. ¡°He called you single. Aren¡¯t you going to retaliate?¡±


    She didn¡¯t have the guts to retaliate on her own-Ian¡¯s aura was too intimidating. So, she urged Billy on instead.


    Who could have expected that Billy would be even more fearful of Ian than her; he caught her hand and, on the surface, said, ¡°He¡¯s speaking the truth to begin with.¡± His heart, however, was crying out, ¡®Please stop talking! Boss Axton¡¯s getting a little upset.¡¯


    And so, after dinner, the two of them left almost immediately after making an excuse.


    Billy said, ¡°Ah, I¡¯m going to go have a smoke.¡±


    Silvia said, ¡°Oh, I have to make a call.¡±


    But after they left for their smoke and call, they never returned.


    Amber received a text from Silvia soon after she disappeared. ¡°Your Mr. Axton¡¯s angry, I hope you¡¯ll be alright.¡±Original content from N?velDrama.Org.


    Amber was speechless at how fast her friend had abandoned her.


    She raised her head. Ian had finished eating long ago, and he was resting his head in his hand as he gazed at her meaningfully. His stare was so intense it made Amber¡¯s hair stand on end.


    She felt that she should try to extricate herself from this situation, so she tried to chat with him and lighten the gloomy atmosphere around them. ¡°They¡¯re gone now.¡±


    Ian didn¡¯t respond, only continuing to look at her calmly.


    Amber wasn¡¯t someone who would give in that easily. She earnestly continued speaking. ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I didn¡¯t tell you in advance. Inviting my friends along without asking you was quite impolite of me. However, my thought was that, since it¡¯s the New Year¡¯s, it¡¯d be better to have more people around. That way, there¡¯d be more liveliness and excitement.¡±


    Ian nodded. She didn¡¯t see wrongly, ya ¡­ he had indeed nodded, but what he said was, ¡°You¡¯re dressed very beautifully today.¡± It turns out that while Ian wasn¡¯t actually mad, he did find Billy¡¯s and Silvia¡¯s presence to be somewhat annoying.


    So once they were gone, he no longer had any incentive to hold back.


    Given the abrupt shift in topic, Amber became somewhat embarrassed. ¡°¡­. Thanks.¡±


    But Ian remained his usual cool, calm, and collected self. ¡°Your body is very well suited for this kind of dress.¡± The long dress was close-fitting and had a soft texture, which entuated her curves and gave her an exquisite quality. ¡°However, the quality of the dress is somewhat poor, and it doesn¡¯t feel very good to touch.¡±


    Amber¡¯s face went: OvO


    She looked at him, her expression ¡®Ng¡¯ again. Then, she said, somewhat speechlessly, ¡°I¡¯m really sorry.¡±


    Ian stood up. He really had improved, as he even knew to offer her his hand now. He stretched out his hand as he said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Amber hesitated momentarily, but eventually epted his hand, stood up dazedly, and asked, ¡°Where to?¡±


    ¡°To buy new clothes.¡±


    Without an opportunity to reject him, Amber was dragged away on a shopping trip.


    The ce where they had just eaten was within the heart of the city, and there were all sorts of famous brands and luxury goods retail outlets in the area. Originally, Amber had been very worried that Ian, with his tyrannical personality, would bring her to one of these extravagantly luxurious stores and buy overpriced clothing. Thankfully, he didn¡¯t even nce at these storefronts, they went to his car and quickly drove away.


    Amber took a deep breath, thinking that, as long as they didn¡¯t shop in this area, then no matter where they went, she would probably be able to afford at least one or two new articles of clothing ¡­ right?


    ***


    In the end, Ian still brought her to some high-ss custom-made boutique. The storefront wasn¡¯t eye-catching, and it didn¡¯t look particrly grand or imposing, but the interior was tastefully elegant.


    Ian was a frequent customer here, and the employees treated him very well as soon as he arrived. Not long after they entered, the female boss came out herself, and when she saw Ian dragging Amber behind him, a glimmer of astonishment crept through her eyes, before being quickly buried. She put on a smile and asked, ¡°This must be your fiancee, Director Axton?¡±


    Ian nodded in affirmation.


    Amber was left speechless by this exchange.


    She felt as if everyone in the world except for her knew that she had been promised to someone. It was a particrly tart and acrid feeling that hit her deep in her stomach.


    But Ian had already started talking to the boss, directly asking, ¡°Do you have any dresses?¡±


    ¡°Of course. We¡¯re currently designing some new ones for the spring season.¡± She nced over at Amber and smiled again. ¡°Her stature¡¯s good and her skin¡¯s white. You can tell from a single nce that she¡¯s a good clothes rack-she¡¯ll look good in anything she wears.¡±


    And then the boss led both of them upstairs and had them sit down. Right away, four employees appeared, each one carrying a set of clothes.


    They were all dresses of various styles, running the gamut from long to short, sexy to conservative, and stylish to cute. Amber didn¡¯t even have time to look through all of them before Ian waved his hands dismissively. ¡°I don¡¯t want anything tooplicated, just something like what she¡¯s wearing right now.¡±


    Thedy owner inspected Amber¡¯s dress a bit more carefully and immediately understood. The next few dresses that she brought out were all long, body-hugging dresses. They were made of some sort of soft material and were particrly nice to the touch.


    Before Amber could even speak up, Ian had already picked out a white one and a red one for her.


    Since the dresses themselves seemed moderate and proper, and since Amber could already picture herself wearing them out with a little jacket on a daily basis, she didn¡¯t say anything and went to the dressing room to try them both on.


    When she disyed the white one, the female boss praised her looks ¡°You look just like a good wife and loving mother.¡± But Ian merely nced at her coolly.


    And when Amber came out with the red dress on, thedy owner smiled and sighed, ¡°This is just a sample, but it looks as if it were specifically designed for you.¡±


    Ian sat down on the sofa, leaned back, and carefully looked at Amber with a hand supporting his forehead. It took him quite a while before he finally got up and walked over with his hand held out.


    When Amber saw his outstretched hand, her scalp went numb and she subconsciously tried to shy away, but Ian had already grabbed her waist.

 Chapter 173. PROGRESS THAT QUICKLY

    However, before Amber could respond, Ian let go of her just as quickly, his voice slightly hoarse as he asked ¡°Is it new?¡±


    The boss clearly knew about his habits, and immediately replied, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s brand new. It was just made yesterday, and not even a model has tried it on yet.¡±


    Ian nodded, and then looked at Amber again. ¡°Will you wear it out?¡±


    ¡®Had he decided to buy it just like that?¡¯ Herself hadn¡¯t yet expressed her opinion at all, ok?


    Unwilling to cave in that easily, she said, ¡°I think that the white one looks prettier.¡±


    Unfortunately, no one listened to her, and the female boss even said, ¡°You do look very pretty in the white one. You can just buy both of them.¡±


    Ian didn¡¯t care about her opinions, and leisurely ordered, ¡°Get them both.¡±


    Amber was stunned by his decisiveness.


    Custom-made clothes didn¡¯t have any price tags on them, but Amber could tell just from the material and the design that they wouldn¡¯t be cheap. But even after she prepared herself, her heart still ached when she finally saw their prices, for just two in dresses, without any diamond iy, silver threading, or any fanciful embroidery, it actually cost 12. 000 dor, and this was even after the top VIP discount was applied!


    ¡®Hmm, anything custom-made is definitely high-ss, and I rarely indulge myself ¡­ I¡¯ll just consider this a treat for herself.¡¯


    Amber thought as sheforted herself. When she saw Ian move to pay the bill, she quickly intercepted him and took out her own wallet. ¡°I¡¯ll pay for myself.¡± And she handed her card over.


    The boss looked at Ian, who looked at Amber.


    Amber said, pretending to be calm, ¡°Both of these dresses look pretty, but I prefer paying for things with my own money.¡±


    Ian put down the pen, and Amber released a pent up breath. Since the status between the two of them was still unclear, she would feel very stressed about spending his money no matter how wealthy he was.


    But before she could breathe out fully, he twisted his head around and said, ¡°Wrap up all of the dresses in the shop.¡± He then pointed at Amber. ¡°She¡¯ll pay.¡±


    Amber made a OvO face. ¡°¡­.¡±


    She didn¡¯t doubt for a single moment that Ian would make someone send all these dresses to her house even if she refused. His next words rified his stance even further. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about her being unable to pay. She¡¯s a doctor at Presbiterian, so she¡¯s rich.¡±


    Amber ¡°¡­.¡±


    ¡®A wise man submits to his circumstances, so why did I have to offer to pay!¡¯ Even as Amber regretted her previous decision, she decisively moved the bill in front of Ian. ¡°I¡¯m poor, so please pay for me!¡±


    Upon seeing their behavior, the female boss and the store employees couldn¡¯t help themselves from smiling. They even turned away to hide theirughter.


    Ian¡¯s expression, however, didn¡¯t shift at all. Instead, he seriously asked her, ¡°But what if that decreases your enjoyment of shopping?¡±


    Amber believed that she was rather knowledgeable about psychology, but right now, she really didn¡¯t know whether he truly believed her tantly false excuse that she ¡®enjoyed using her own money to shop,¡¯ or if he was just mocking her.


    ¡®Of course! If I take what he said earlier into consideration, then this fellow is clearly mocking me!¡¯


    Amber steeled her expression, pretended to not understand his words, and used the same earnest tone to say, ¡°No. I¡¯m actually happier when I use someone else¡¯s money.¡±


    Only then did Ian take the bill and sign it.


    Everyone else in the shop was about to roll over fromughing. Amber¡¯s face was a scarlet blood red, and the boss even joked, ¡°Miss, Director Axton¡¯s really in love with you, huh.¡± This female boss was actually quite familiar with Ian, and they even exchanged jokes between each other quite often.


    She continued her teasing, saying, ¡°Director Axton¡¯s always been on his own, and I¡¯ve never seen him bring any other girls around. I used to even think that he would focus on his career his entire life and never think about marriage. But who would have thought that he¡¯d find such a beautiful and interesting fiancee as you?¡±


    And then her gaze flickered over to the hickey that Ian had left on her neck.


    What could Amber say? She could only wordlessly smile and bear the burden of being ¡®Ian¡¯s fiancee.¡¯


    ***


    After they left the store, Amber said, ¡°It¡¯s a bitte, and I have to go home soon.¡±This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Ian actually didn¡¯t refuse and calmly sent her home, leaving Amber in a state of difort-it wasn¡¯t that she couldn¡¯t bear to see him go, but rather that her instincts were screaming that he was nning something big even though she couldn¡¯t see anything of the sort. Was he really just going to gift her two dresses and be done with it?


    Ian really didn¡¯t seem like someone who would just give up on his n that easily!


    And when her thoughts reached this point, she subconsciously felt somewhat stifled. As Amber moved to leave the car, she even said, somewhat uncertainly, ¡°Then ¡­ I¡¯m going?¡±


    Ian dispassionately asked, ¡°What else? ¡­ Are you inviting me up?¡±


    Amber finally managed to squeeze out a quick ¡°No, goodbye!¡±


    Ian smiled shallowly, making Amber blush as she turned to open the car door.


    But then, he grabbed her hand and pulled her back. Amber, startled, asked, ¡°What¡¯re you doing ¡­?¡±


    She had barely finished saying ¡®doing¡¯ when he forcefully pushed the word back into her mouth. Ian took advantage of that opportunity to stick the tip of his tongue into her mouth, and start sucking on the tip of her own tongue. As they were still inside the tight confines of the car, the sucking and kissing noises were very distinct.


    Amber was very embarrassed, but she also couldn¡¯t deny the happiness that she felt. But this sort of happiness still had its own bottom line, and when she felt his hand creeping up the bottom of her dress, it was also about to cross that line. Amber immediately stopped him from going any further, opening her eyes.


    She struggled against his hold, and he didn¡¯t keep continuing forcefully this time. Ian calmly removed himself from her mouth but kept his cool palm on her thigh, rubbing it gently and meticulously.


    Amber grabbed his hand and tightly held it still.


    Ian looked at her, at her clear, pellucid eyes, as he slowly sobered up. As his mind regained its rity, he could see the line separating him and her briefly disappear and then reappear.


    His grip on the back of her head tightened, and an indistinct impatience surfaced from the bottom of his heart, born out of greed and ruthlessness. He felt a primordial desire to ravage her ferociously, bestially.


    But he restrained himself, not wanting to scare her again. Thus, when Amber asked, ¡°Ian, can we not progress that quickly.¡±


    He repressed the primordial urges in his heart. Instead, he once again bent his head down, lightly licked the corners of her lips, and rubbed his face against hers as he said, ¡°Wear that red dress next time.¡±


    His hand was still ced dangerously on her thigh. Amber was reminded of the money that he had paid, thought, All right, I guess I do owe him a favor, and nodded.


    With that answer, Ian let go of her happily.


    That night, Amber had another dream filled with pornographic content. She didn¡¯t remember the exact details, but there was one very memorable scene that she remembered even after waking up ¡­ on a bright and sunny day, a woman had been cornered by a man. His slightly cold fingers had stroked her waist lightly before dipping inside of her body ¡­.

 Chapter 174. ARE YOU CRAZY

    When Amber woke up, her body felt indescribably limp and numb while her heart was somewhat drained. Amber clutched her face, both impressed and horrified by the capabilities of her own imagination.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    In her dreams, besides the location, what that man had done to that woman was essentially what had happened to her yesterday, in that washroom!


    ***


    The good student Amber had finally experienced the feelings of youthful love, leaving her speechless.


    Shey in bed for quite a while, recovering from her shock. Only when that strange feeling in her heart went away did shezily get up and dress herself.


    She was evente to work. Because it was the first day of work after the New Year, the head had arrived early. Following their workce custom, he had prepared red packets in advance and had stood by the door, giving one to each colleague who walked in. There wasn¡¯t much money inside them, but it made everyone feel happy and appreciated.


    When the elevator door opened, the first thing Amber saw was the head standing there with a smile. She immediately wanted to turn around and leave, but the head had already spotted her. ¡°You¡¯re trying to run away after being sote?¡±


    Caught red-handed, Amber could only go over obediently. ¡°Happy New Year, department head.¡± And then she pitifully pleaded, ¡°It¡¯s the first day of work after the New Year. Could you not scold me, please?¡±


    The head red at her, but he didn¡¯t say anything else. He merely stuffed the red packet into her hand before saying, ¡°Come to my office.¡±


    Amber could only head over. She had some idea of what was going on; indeed, the head immediately asked about what had happened yesterday when they were alone. ¡°What happened?¡±


    Amber exined the matter concisely, even saying, ¡°The patient¡¯s family wanted to transfer the patient to me, but I disagreed. Dr. Beryl did not handle this matter inappropriately at all.¡±


    The head chuckled. ¡°Worry about yourself first. Did you know that that patient¡¯s family filed aint about you?¡±


    ¡°Aint?¡± Amber was dazed.


    ¡°Yes, directly to the chairman. It was something about how you, as a doctor, refused to provide treatment.¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    Although she had been slightly dazed at first, her head immediately cleared up afterwards. It seemed that her colleagues had already known that someone had filed aint against her, because when she left the head¡¯s office, those heartless fellowsughed with schadenfreude at her misfortune. ¡°Congrattions, Dr. Camille. It seems that you¡¯re going to get a promotion this year, since you were called to the head¡¯s office on the first day of the new year.¡±


    Amber didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. When she turned around, she saw Beryl and wondered why he was at work-he had requested to go on vacation, starting today. While she was still confused, he walked straight up to her, ignoring the bystanders¡¯ nces, and dragged her into his office.


    ¡°Dr. Beryl, you¡¯re being too impudent!¡± Amber was angered by his actions, shaking off her hand.


    ¡°Me, impudent? What about you?¡± Beryl looked at her, and used through gritted his teeth, ¡°That man yesterday was Ian Axton, right? Isn¡¯t he your patient? Dr. Camille, you¡¯re actually dating your patient. Are you crazy?¡±


    Amber was struck speechless by his sudden usation. She didn¡¯t expect that Beryl would say this, and she choked on the words stuck in her mouth.


    Beryl continued rebuking her. ¡°If people heard about a doctor from the psychiatry department being in a rtionship with her patient, do you know what they would think? This is made even worse by the fact that the Axton family has both prestige and power ¡­.


    He¡¯s ill, and as a doctor, instead of treating him properly, you even fell in love with him! If word spreads, then you could drown in just the saliva that people would spit at you! You, you, you ¡­ why don¡¯t you know to cherish your reputation?!¡±


    Amber couldn¡¯t refute his words.


    She really didn¡¯t expect that Beryl would say something like this. Hadn¡¯t he always thought unfavorably of her? Hadn¡¯t he always erected roadblocks in front of her, trying to chase her out of the department? His sudden outpour of sincere advice for her really left her feeling out of sorts.


    Amber blinked, her anger dissipating, and actually made a joking jab at him. ¡°Are you concerned for me? ¡­ Is this really the Senior Beryl that I know?¡±


    Yes, although she didn¡¯t act unfamiliarly with him anymore, why would Beryl feel his heart be even more stifled?


    Amber epted his good intentions, but she didn¡¯t intend on exining her rtionship with Ian in detail. Instead, she perfunctorily replied, ¡°Thank you for your consideration, but I know what I¡¯m doing.¡±


    And then she nosily asked, ¡°You know Ian Axton?¡±


    As for how Beryl knew about Ian¡¯s illness, she didn¡¯t need to ask. As long as he had the name, he could find out everything about Ian from their hospital database.


    Although Ian had never officially been registered as a patient of the psychiatry department, he hade for medical consultations a few times, and his records were naturally in the database.


    Beryl stiffly replied, ¡°No. Why would I care as to who he is?¡±


    He really didn¡¯t know who Ian was. But yesterday, he had ended up tailing them and, in the end, had taken a picture of Ian from a far.


    Despite Ian¡¯s low profile, there were still quite a few people who knew him, as he was a businessman. So when Beryl shared the photograph of Ian and asked his friends about this man¡¯s identity, he quickly found the information he was searching for.


    And after that, he even looked up Ian¡¯s medical records; after all, everyone went to the hospital at some point for an illness or something, right? Soing at it from a medical perspective would be a good starting ce to understand Ian better.


    But Beryl could have never guessed that he would find out that Amber had been Ian¡¯s primary doctor in the past, and his medical records clearly stated, ¡®physiological emotional detachment, severe mysophobia, and obsessivepulsive disorder.¡¯


    Even if he ignored the other two, emotional detachment was exactly what it sounded like abination of symptoms that includedcking emotions and having an abnormal thought process. In severe cases, people suffering from this disorder might even have no qualms about killing people or doing vile things. Even in light cases, they often didn¡¯t feel regr emotions at all.


    So he had no idea what Amber was trying to do!


    When he saw her brush off his advice, Beryl immediately became weary. He felt like his sleepless night of worry and anxiety was almost like a joke to her, and the unhappiness on his face became palpable. ¡°Fine, just treat it as me being nosy then!¡±


    He was wholly irritated now. Amber scratched her head, at a loss for what to do. ¡°No, it¡¯s not like that. It¡¯s just that I¡¯m not really used to your concern, senior. You don¡¯t really think that I like you, do you?¡±


    But her words seemed to have touched a sensitive spot, and he exploded in fury. Beryl thought back to his impetuous behavior yesterday, and he felt an intense instinct to bury himself. He hurriedly countered with a ¡°I¡¯d rather you did!¡± and then rushed out.


    But then he came rushing back in just as quickly. ¡°This is my office! You get out!¡±

 Chapter 175. A FAKE part 1

    Amber couldn¡¯t help butugh at the absurd situation before leaving as he¡¯d asked. Perhaps it was because she¡¯d angered him, but Beryl went back to his cold demeanor of before, raising his nose and nting his eyes at her as usual.


    Whenever she began discussing treatment ns, he would always criticize them harshly. Others thought that he was just being petty, that he merely wanted to prove himself after Amber had helped him out that one time.


    However, Amber knew that it was because he honestly couldn¡¯t approve of her treatment methodologies-if she was daring enough to enter a rtionship with a patient suffering from emotional detachment, then how could he trust her treatment ns? Thus, he had no choice but to criticize them!


    But during department parties, he would at least be a bit nicer to her, often saying a few nomittal words to her, like ¡°Dr. Camille,e, have a ss of wine,¡± or ¡°Dr. Camille, why don¡¯t you perform something for us?¡±Original content from N?velDrama.Org.


    But Amber still had a whole host of problems on her mind.


    She had been very busy ever since the start of the new year, not only because of this critical senior, but also because of Trysta.


    That afternoon, Trysta called her to go out. ¡°Silvia said that you and Ian were doing well, right? Let¡¯s have dinner together, and bring him along as well.¡± Her tone was easy and rxed, and she even teased Amber a little.


    Trysta¡¯s condition was special, so if she extended an invite, Amber would undoubtedly go. But she didn¡¯t ask Ian toe, and when Trysta saw that Ian hadn¡¯te with Amber, she urged Frank to call him. ¡°Give him a call. Amber¡¯s here, so I bet that he¡¯lle.¡±


    The two of them sat there together in harmony, as if they¡¯d never had a disagreement.


    Amber decided to observe them carefully. If Trysta had truly forgiven him and desired to have a good life with Frank, then she didn¡¯t n on saying anything. They were both adults, and they could make their own choices and live their own lives.


    But she could see that Trysta was looking at Frank unemotionally and without any affection.


    On the other hand, Frank seemed to be at his wife¡¯s beck and call, doing anything and everything she asked of him. He smiled pleasantly and said, ¡°Alright.¡± And then he really did call Ian right there and there.


    Amber couldn¡¯t stop him, so she simply decided to ignore whatever Frank was saying to Ian and instead turn her attention to Trysta. ¡°Yourplexion¡¯s a lot paler now. Are you still unable to sleep well at night?¡±


    ¡°Of course not.¡± When Trysta faced her, her smile became much more genuine. She even coyly whispered, ¡°Myplexion only seems pale because I¡¯m not wearing any makeup.¡±


    ¡°Trysta ¡­.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Trysta pinched Amber¡¯s hand under the table. ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about that here, alright? As you know, being pregnant naturally makes a woman feel ufortable and ugly. So if you keep going, I¡¯ll have no choice but to ignore you.¡±


    What was that? There was no such thing as a true joke, as all jokes had at least a kernel of truth within them. Trysta¡¯s tone may have been joking, but it was evident that she was also quite serious.


    She clearly didn¡¯t want to talk about her body at all.


    And so Amber could only drop the subject. At this point, Frank¡¯s call had finished, and he announced, ¡°Director Axton¡¯s agreed toe over.¡± As he said this, he even smiled suggestively at Amber.


    Amber¡¯s eyes hurt just from looking at him, and she had to nce away. But then, Trysta said to Frank, ¡°There are so many eligible bachelors by Director Axton¡¯s side, so let¡¯s call Sarah over as well. Last time, we didn¡¯t manage to introduce her to Calvin, and I told her that I¡¯d definitely find her a better match.¡±


    She pushed him on. ¡°Go on, call her.¡± She clutched her tummy, smiled innocently, and gently said, ¡°I won¡¯t make the call, in case any radiation affects me.¡±


    Amber could clearly see the corners of Frank¡¯s eyes twitch and his facial muscles unnaturally clench when Trysta told him to call Sarah over.


    He hesitatingly replied, ¡°That¡¯s not a good idea, is it? We¡¯re already all paired up.¡±


    Trysta smiled nonchntly. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? We¡¯re just having dinner with friends. After that, it¡¯s not like we¡¯re going to be disagreeable. It¡¯s Director Axton and Amber who¡¯re in the romantic stage of their rtionship.¡±


    Frank eventually ran out of excuses and had to call Sarah. He was just about to get up and leave, but Trysta pulled him back. ¡°Call her here. Isn¡¯t it a hassle to keep running around like that?¡±


    Amber took a deep breath.


    ***


    Not longter, Ian came, and so did Sarah. They arrived at almost the same time. For some reason, Amber didn¡¯t notice Ian, and her attention was instead drawn to Sarah.


    In her mind, she was a very introverted and dainty girl-not too pretty, but her neat facial features made one unconsciously want to protect her.


    Her demeanor and mien waspletely different from Trysta¡¯s.


    Ian greeted Trysta and Frank, and then very naturally sat down beside Amber. When he noticed her staring at Sarah, he frowned and bluntly asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Everyone looked over.


    ¡°¡­.¡± Amber was caught by surprise. She could only stammer out, ¡°Miss Sarah¡¯s really pretty.¡±


    Ian nced at her again, nodded, and said, ¡°She is indeed prettier than you.¡±


    Amber internally went o()o.


    Ian continued, ¡°But don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t like her.¡±


    Amber thought, ¡®No one was hinting that, alright?!¡¯


    Trysta was a little unhappy to hear him praise Sarah and bash Amber, but when she heard his followup, she almost fell downughing. She even intentionally provoked him by asking, ¡°Why not?¡±


    Frank and Sarah listened on very seriously.


    And then they heard Ian¡¯s emotionless voice say, ¡°She¡¯s too thin, too short, and her body¡¯s too shriveled. I don¡¯t desire her.¡±


    Everyone made a OO face.

 Chapter 176. A FAKE part 2

    Amber was certain that Ian had expressed his true thoughts, without any malicious intentions.


    ¡®My goodness, it became even more hurtful because it wasn¡¯t intentional! Can¡¯t you tell, geez?¡¯


    Sarah had initially been a bit pleased with herself, as she had heard of Ian before. She didn¡¯t expect that he would call her pretty, and even less so that he would call her prettier than this Amber in front of her. Yes, she couldn¡¯t help a feeling of pride from welling up.


    And so, even though he had said that he didn¡¯t like her, she thought that it was simply a part of the flirtatious banter between him and Amber, that it was wholly unrted to the truth. This caused her to smile slightly and try to look reserved, so as to not make her pride too obvious.


    But then, what did she hear next?


    Amber thought that Sarah looked like she was about to cry, and even Frank¡¯s face stiffened awkwardly.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    Trysta mmed her head against the table three times as she burst into a gleefulughter. Only after that did she recover; she rubbed her face, lifted her head up, and delightedly said, ¡°Director Axton always makes jokes like this.¡±


    Ian¡¯s tone was insipid as he responded, ¡°You think that I¡¯m joking?¡±


    Amber didn¡¯t like where this conversation was going. If they continued down this route, who knew what Ian would say? Even she had fallen prey to his vicious tongue before!


    And although she wasn¡¯t all too pleased with Sarah supposedly being Frank¡¯s mistress, everyone who had ever studied psychiatry knew not to provoke someone who gave off an introverted and honest image. As the saying went, ¡®dogs who bite don¡¯t bark.¡¯


    In other words, the more honest and sincere a person seemed, the more mercurial their behavior when they were enraged.


    Like Sarah, if she were really as pure and guileless as she looked, then how would she have gotten involved with Frank while knowing that he was dating and nning on marrying her best friend? Even if one discounted her friendship with Trysta, they were still distant rtives!


    So at that point, Amber had to interrupt and derail the conversation. ¡°Alright, jokes are jokes, but I need food. Let¡¯s order something. I¡¯m famished.¡±


    And with that, she took the lead and pressed the bell to call a waiter over. She truly wished for them to just drop the topic, but someone was clearly being obstinate.


    While they were waiting for a waiter toe, Frank, who had regained his senses, actually smiled and said to Ian, ¡°Sarah isn¡¯t so bad, is she? Dr. Camille seems pretty thin too.¡±


    Why?!


    Amber looked at him expressionlessly, not even wanting to reply.


    Trysta had copsed onto the table with a face full of smiles, but when she heard thatment, she immediately made a gagging sound. Amber immediately stood up, concernedly asking, ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, just one of the side effects of pregnancy.¡± Frank stretched his hand out to pat Trysta¡¯s back, but Trysta pushed him aside and instead grabbed ahold of Amber.


    Without a moment of hesitation, Amber walked around him and helped her outside.


    Sarah was about to stand up and apany them as well, but Amber cut her off. ¡°It¡¯s alright, I can handle it myself.¡± She then forcibly dragged Trysta away before Sarah had a chance to respond.


    ***


    In the restroom, Trysta dry-heaved a few times over a toilet before vomiting in earnest. Only when even her gastric juices starteding out did she feel slightly better.


    Amber brought her some water for her to gargle, and helped her wipe her face as she asked, ¡°Do you feel a bit better?¡±


    Trysta leaned against the wall, raised her head, and took a deep breath before smiling without any genuine happiness. ¡°Quite well.¡±


    Amber clutched her hand concernedly. ¡°Do you want me to send you back?¡±


    Trysta turned around and looked straight at her. ¡°Amber, tell me. Am I being stupid?¡±


    Amber pursed her lips and thought for a moment before seriously saying, ¡°You¡¯re really are acting quite stupidly, very much unlike the Trysta I know. The Trysta I know would smoothly adapt to any circumstance.


    She let things go when she had to, and focused on new things when she could. She lived life without worries, free and at ease. Given what you¡¯re doing now, do you even recognize yourself anymore?¡±


    Tears started falling from Trysta¡¯s eyes, but her smile remained glued onto her face. ¡°I just want to hurt myself more. When I feel numb, there¡¯s apulsion to poke at my wounds a bit to remind that it¡¯s right there. I only feelfortable when it hurts.¡±


    When Amber heard this confession, she sighed, and her voice rxed as she consoled, ¡°If you want to lead a happy life with him, then why bother hurting yourself?¡±


    Trysta covered up her face with her hand, though she was still smiling. ¡°I can¡¯t stand living this kind of life, If they want me to forgive them just like that, then who¡¯ll forgive me?¡±


    So it was indeed this! Amber frowned. ¡°You fool! If a man is bitten by a dog, must he bite back? Your path is your own to tread. You can¡¯t stop moving forward just because you tripped over a few pebbles.¡±


    She wanted to keep persuading Trysta against her current course of action, but at that moment, Frank¡¯s voice came in from the outside. ¡°Trysta, Amber, are you in there?¡±


    Amber could only stop talking. She took a moment to look at Trysta, who was trying to wipe away her tears, and then coldly answered, ¡°Yes.¡±


    When they went out, Amber¡¯s face was still cold, but Trysta¡¯s expression was once again stered with a fake, broad smile.


    Frank said, ¡°There¡¯s a washroom right inside. Why did you run all the way over here?¡±


    Trysta replied, ¡°We were just about to eat. Wouldn¡¯t it be disgusting if I vomited in the restaurant?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with that. You¡¯re pregnant!¡±


    Amber looked at the two of them from behind, feeling helpless. Even though Trysta had momentarily lost her calm, her acting skills immediately recovered to their peak in a millisecond. When she reentered the restaurant, she let Sarah, who hade up to her to wee her back, support her. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, just the baby.¡±


    And then she even apologized to Ian. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. My reactions have been pretty extremetely, and I even feel the urge to vomit at random intervals.¡±


    Ian¡¯s face was unbothered. ¡°It¡¯s no big deal.¡± His gaze swept over Amber¡¯s face, and once she sat down, he asked, ¡°Are you unhappy?¡±


    Amber remained silent.


    He hadn¡¯t lowered his voice, so Frank and the others all heard him and looked over, shocked. Trysta even blinked before asking, ¡°Amber, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Amber nced at her. ¡°One of my patients has a problem.¡±


    If it was a work problem, then no one could help her. All they could do was simplymiserate with her before dropping the subject.

 Chapter 177. A COINCIDENCE

    That meal really was devoid of any enjoyment. All throughout dinner, they watched Trysta and Frank disy their ¡®love¡¯ for each other and the baby in her stomach. Frank was quite disgusting in how calmly he behaved in front of two women who both had unclear rtionships with him.


    Amber didn¡¯t feel like eating, and Ian didn¡¯t even bother picking up his chopsticks.


    Trysta teased him mercilessly. ¡°Director Axton, if you¡¯re not here to eat, then what are you here for?¡±This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Ian¡¯s answer was simple and direct. ¡°For her, because she¡¯s here.¡±


    Trysta and the othersughed, but Amber didn¡¯t. She looked at him, searching his face for a hint; his expression was as calm as ever, and she couldn¡¯t detect any deep emotion. But the fact that he would say something like this was more than enough to show how profound his feelings were.


    She stretched out her hand and grabbed his from underneath the table. As her fingers slid across his palm, their fingers inteced together.


    That was the first time that she had ever taken the initiative to hold hands with him.


    He looked over, and his lips slightly curved up. The mirth in his eyes was easily recognizable, softening his sharp facial features.


    What Amber gained from this meal was a sudden deeper understanding of her own feelings ¡®I simply can¡¯t resist him, so why not truly ept him?¡¯


    ¡®I could treat him as my real boyfriend and man, and love and cherish him¡¯.


    ¡®And as forter, why think about that now?¡¯


    So when they split up from Trysta and the others, Ian said, ¡°Then, I¡¯ll be going.¡±


    Amber pulled him back. ¡°Just like that?¡±


    Ian mechnically replied, ¡°It¡¯s not the eighth today.¡± But what he really meant was that it wasn¡¯t one of their date days yet.


    Amber smiled. ¡°Then why did youe over?¡±


    And Ian seriously answered, ¡°I missed you.¡±


    These serious responses used to make Amber speechless, but now, she felt that these responses were so cute that they were irresistible. There were many pedestrians on the street, but she threw all caution to the wind, thinking that no one would recognize them here anyway.


    She stood on her tiptoes, quickly kissed him on the lips, smiled, and leaned in as she whispered, ¡°Then, I¡¯ll bring you on a date you today, alright?¡±


    Ian didn¡¯t even have the chance to speak before Amber retreated. She then heard a crisp voice by her ear. ¡°Dr. Camille? Ian ¡­ Ian Axton?¡±


    Amber was shocked. ¡°¡­.¡±


    ¡®What happened to no one recognizing us?¡¯


    She turned around, and her ted heart came crashing down. There were two people standing beside them, and they were more than mere acquaintances; their rtionship with her was actually quiteplicated.


    Calvin and Melody ¡­.


    ¡®How could there be such a coincidence?¡¯


    The two seemed to have just finished shopping, as the two were holding hands while Calvin was carrying a few bags, bothrge and small, in his free one.


    When the two of them saw Amber and Ian, Melody¡¯s face was one of shock while Calvin¡¯s was expressionless.


    Ian was rather expressionless himself. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn¡¯t even bother greeting anyone he wasn¡¯t ¡®familiar¡¯ with, and even ncing at them was an honor. His coldness was especially apparent at a time like this; making a sound and interrupting them was very impolite, no?


    So Amber had to intervene. Perhaps it was because she had just been ¡®secretly¡¯ kissing Ian, but her face still had the remnants of a smile. After a brief moment to recover from her slight daze, she smiled and said, ¡°Oh, it¡¯s the two of you ¡­ Happy New Year!¡±


    Melody politely responded with a ¡°Happy New Year¡± of her own. She looked at Amber, and then at Ian. ¡°The two of you ¡­.¡± She made a vague hand gesture. ¡°Are you two dating?¡±


    It seemed as if love was magical. After she had gotten together with Calvin, not only did her emotional stability improve, but even her mood seemed to have livened up.


    Amber smiled as she nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Then did we interrupt you?¡±


    Amber smiled without responding.


    At this point, Calvin suddenly opened his mouth. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Stop bothering them.¡± He pulled on Melody¡¯s hand, trying to leave.


    Melody followed along, but at thest moment, she turned her head around and said, ¡°Dr. Camille, we¡¯re getting married at the end of the month. You have toe!¡±


    Amber was still frozen.


    Her emotions were still running amok when she felt a sudden pressure on her hand, slightly cold fingers were pulling at her fingers.


    When she turned around, her face once again had a smile on it. She looked at him and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Ian calmly said, ¡°Let¡¯s go on our date.¡±


    And then the two walked down the other side of the road and into the theater to watch some mindless movie.


    When they exited the cinema, Amber suddenly had a small breakthrough in understanding why Ian had to ask Billy for ideas and advice about dating. Even though she had said that this was a date, she also didn¡¯t know what young men and women did.


    Eating-they just ate.


    ying sports-she would only get wrecked.


    Shopping-even Amber wasn¡¯t interested in this, let alone Ian.


    So, in the end, out of ideas, they could only watch a movie.


    The good thing was, despite the movie being quite poor, their rtionship had nheless deepened considerably. They had entered holding hands, and they also exited holding hands.


    When they were finished, it was already past 10 PM. Under normal circumstances, if Amber didn¡¯t say anything, Ian probably would not think to send her home. But today, he did so on his own.


    ***


    When they arrived at Amber¡¯s apartmentplex, Amber asked, ¡°You didn¡¯t even eat dinner today. Are you hungry?¡±


    Ian staunchly replied, ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°Then quickly go home, eat something, and go to bed.¡±


    Ian didn¡¯t say anything in response, only shooting a steady gaze at her. His face was still expressionless, but Amber felt that she could some hidden bitterness in those stoic features.


    She couldn¡¯t stop herself fromughing out loud before she waved her hand at him to bid goodbye. ¡°Good night.¡±


    As she prepared to leave the car, Ian locked the car door, started the car up again ¡­.

 Chapter 178. YOUR SWEETNESS

    As Amber prepared to leave the car, Ian locked the car door, started the car up again, and started driving towards the parking garage.


    Amber quizzically asked him, ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    Ian nced at her and then slowly replied, ¡°Weren¡¯t you inviting me in just now?¡±


    Amber wasn¡¯t upset. ¡°Sure!¡± As an excuse, she continued, ¡°I¡¯m afraid that if you don¡¯t eat anything when you get back home, your stomach will hurt.¡±


    Ian turned around and provokatively said, ¡°Oh, I¡¯ll eat all right.¡±


    Amber was struck speechless. This time, it was her turn to look at him bitterly. She even wanted to grab his ear and sarcastically ask, ¡®Do you know how to chat? Can you speak properly? At this time, shouldn¡¯t you silently ept my good intentions and then escort me home diligently?¡¯


    Ian didn¡¯t say anything; instead, the sides of his mouth curled up, clearly signaling that he found Amber¡¯s exasperated and speechless expression amusing.


    Since she was afraid of Ian being hungry, the first thing she did when they arrived at her apartment was to make something for him to eat. There wasn¡¯t much food at her ce, but there were quite a number of items that she could prepare with little effort, like noodles, dumplings, and the like. In fact, her mother replenished her stock almost weekly.


    Amber and Ian had eaten together quite a few times by now, and she knew that he preferred light foods. So, she made him a bowl of noodles that suited his tastes, and then made a bowl of thick congee with ck rice, beans, and red dates for herself.


    She wasn¡¯t full from tonight¡¯s meal either.


    When she remembered the night¡¯scking dinner, she was also reminded of Trysta, and then of Calvin. Once the noodles were busy boiling, she took out her phone and scrolled through her social media feed, but couldn¡¯t find anything about Calvin getting married at all.


    He barely updated his feed, and his most recent post was when he had just returned from abroad and was attending Trysta¡¯s wedding. It was a picture, with a single sentence as a caption: ¡°I hope that you¡¯ll be happy.¡±


    The photograph was of Trysta getting ready to throw her wedding bouquet into the air. She had in mid-turn,ughing, and the bridesmaids were at the bottom of the stage, happily rubbing their palms and getting ready to catch the bouquet.


    The happiness and liveliness of the wedding felt as fresh as if it had taken ce yesterday, but Trysta and Frank¡¯s marriage had clearly alreadye to its end.


    ¡°What¡¯re you looking at?¡±


    There was a hot puff of air by her ear, and then Ian¡¯s voice rang out from behind her back.


    Amber showed him her phone screen. ¡°I¡¯m looking at photographs of Trysta¡¯s wedding.¡±


    Ian nced at it for a moment and then turned his head around disinterestedly to look at the pot. ¡°Is it ready yet?¡±


    Amber also nced at the boiling noodles. Then she put her phone away, picked up her chopsticks, and stirred it a little. ¡°It¡¯s almost ready.¡±


    A few minutester, she removed the noodles and poured out the congee, and with that, the two of them had a very simple supper. Thankfully, Ian wasn¡¯t a picky eater, and he slowly but diligently ate his noodles, leaving the bowl clean at the end.


    He had finished his noodles before Amber could finish her congee, so Amber asked, ¡°Was it tasty?¡± She wanted to show off a little. ¡°My dad personally made these noodles from scratch, and I¡¯ve always loved eating them.¡±


    Since she was sitting by his side, he could see her gleaming eyes, and her white and lustrous face seemed to glow under themplight. But in contrast to that ethereal aura, there was a little ck spot of rice congee by the side of her mouth, just like a little mole; the slight imperfection actually increased her attractiveness.


    She was still asking him, ¡°Is it tasty?¡±


    Ian¡¯s hand that had been lying dormant underneath the table moved instinctively. He raised it and wiped off the little ¡®mole¡¯ by her mouth.


    Amber looked at that ck dot on his fingertip, but before she could blush in embarrassment, she saw him put it in his mouth and suck it down like he was drinking water.


    ¡°Hmm, it¡¯s not as tasty as this ¡­.¡± He put down his hand and then looked at her. ¡°Your sweetness, that is.¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    She couldn¡¯t stop her face from turning pink. How could she not? There was no sugar in the congee at all! What sort of sweetness ¡­.


    She tried her best to maintain a serious expression, but her face was still warm with embarrassment, and she couldn¡¯t help but cover her face with her hand as she suspiciously looked at him.Original content from N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Mr. Axton, did you really not have any rtionships in the past?¡± Then in an extremely daring move, she stretched out her hand and kneaded his handsome face, which was so serious that it made one want to touch it even more. ¡°It really doesn¡¯t seem like it, given how good you are at teasing me.¡±


    Ian snatched her hand out of the air. Amber¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and just as she was about to give up, she heard Ianugh. ¡°Let¡¯s get into bed together. Although I¡¯ve never done it before, my technique¡¯s pretty good. Do you want to try it?¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±

 Chapter 179. TOO EASILY EXCITED

    Between men and women, many things would ur naturally once the conditions were met. However, to say that outright just like that ¡­.


    Right now, Amber really wanted to throw her bowl of congee at Ian¡¯s face!


    She puffed up her cheeks and red at him fiercely. ¡°Aren¡¯t you trying to move too quickly?¡±


    She had just prepared herself to enter into a rtionship with him, but he was already proposing that they get into bed together ¡­. She really couldn¡¯t catch up to him even if she rode a rocket.


    The way she puffed up her cheeks reminded Ian of his little toad tea pet, which was white and tender. Whenever it became wet, it made Ian really want to pinch it.


    But since they were discussing ¡°official matters,¡± Ian decided to resist against that temptation. ¡°Is that too fast?¡±


    He looked down as he listed off all the various things they had done. ¡°Disregarding what happened before I started wooing you, we¡¯ve had fifteen dates and twelve kisses so far. And during that time frame, your attitude has gradually gone from somewhat unwilling, to reluctantly epting, to indifferent, and today, you even kissed me of your own volition. So given how our dates have progressed, I do feel like it¡¯s time.¡±


    Amber couldn¡¯t even argue back.


    She truly felt that her own bashfulness belied herck of experience! Suppressing the indignant emotions within her heart, she asked somewhat curiously, ¡°Where¡¯d youe up with this dating timeline of yours?¡±


    Ian looked at her, his expression pedantic, like a model student discussing an abstract theory. ¡°If you extrapte from your experimental and theoretical results with probability theory, it naturally leads to this result.¡±


    ¡°Urk!¡± almost choked on her congee.


    She felt like discussing romance with Mr. Axton was an ordeal in and of itself because he had the capability to instantaneously turn a charming and gentle atmosphere into ¡­ nothing.


    But this sort of feeling was novel, and what¡¯s more, Amber had been a model student herself in the past. So when she saw Ian¡¯s analytical behavior, she quickly went into model-student mode herself, and seriouslyid out her criticisms.


    ¡°Then, have you researched the possible results of a whirlwind romance? Such rapidly developing cases have an 80% rate of breaking up before marriage or divorcing after marriage. If you don¡¯t believe me, then all you have to do is take a look at the friends besides you.


    Any rtionship that progresses to the intimate stage or marriage within a month usually doesn¡¯t end up well.


    In psychiatry, there¡¯s a field of research that focuses on rtionships. The most stable rtionships are those where the partners first spend more than half a year to affirm their feelings, and then have a one or two year long romance before finally engaging in intimate behavior or marriage.


    This is because love is actually an illusion, and it needs time to be verified. Only then can an illusion be a reality. Feelings that haven¡¯t survived the test of time are fated to only be short-lived, a spur-of-the-moment passion.¡±


    She looked at him as she smiled. ¡°Is what you want? A short-lived passion?¡±


    This time, Ian was the one struck speechless.


    He thought about her points for a moment and found that he agreed with her conclusions. However, ¡°Two years is too long.¡± He curtly exined his reasoning by saying, ¡°I might not have enough time to date you for that long.¡±


    As the current head of Axton Corporations, he was very busy. It was already a tall order for him to spend any time with her during the New Year, and while this was feasible in the short term, he definitely couldn¡¯t maintain it for the long term.


    ¡°Even a year would be difficult,¡± he said as he looked at her. ¡°It would be very difficult for me to guarantee that I wouldn¡¯t try something else, such as trying to trick you into having sex with me.¡±


    Hisst few words were so crude that Amber felt apulsion to smack him, but his tone was so serious that she didn¡¯t know where to even begin.


    He continued, even saying, ¡°Amber, I want you. Every night after I return home from one of our dates, I have to change my pants a few times through the night. This has caused me a lot of distress.¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    If anyone else had said these words, then he would definitely have been called a hoodlum, but when Ian said it, it surprisingly actually made her want to reflect on their own actions. Was she truly treating him too harshly?


    As Amber reflected on her actions now, her inner self was in a state of distraught.


    She thought of a sentence she had once read in a textbook, ¡°All biological problems would lead to mental problems, and all mental problems would lead to biological problems.¡± Ian¡¯s physical issue might have something to do with his long-termck of release.


    Of course, this sort of release was not only physiological, but also mental and emotional.


    She was now very seriously thinking of a way to help him with his biological problem. Then, in her innocence, she made a terrible suggestion. ¡°Have you ever tried using some other method to relieve yourself? For example, your hand?¡±


    Ian looked at her, not speaking for a moment before asking, ¡°Are you offering to help me?¡± He seemed very eager by the thought, and even made to take off his pants immediately.


    Amber was dumbfounded by his reaction. She quickly moved to stop him, and then she somehow found herself sitting in Ian¡¯sp.


    He was hugging her, with one hand on her waist and the other hand behind her head, pulling her into a passionate kiss. Once Amber was entrapped by him.


    She realized just how different he was today. This time, his kiss was particrly forceful. It was as if he wanted to swallow her alive, his movements were fierce and somewhat brutal, as his tongue pried open her teeth and wrangled with hers.


    Not longter, Amber felt her tongue go numb, and she couldn¡¯t even close her mouth, causing a thin line of drool to drip out.


    ¡®I feel like a te of food on the dining table, while he is a ravenous wolf ¡­.¡¯ Amber trembled all over, but she couldn¡¯t tell whether it was due to fear or agitation.


    Perhaps she really did ept him in her heart, because she didn¡¯t push him away. That encounter in the washroom seemed to have opened some forbidden door in Ian¡¯s heart.


    As he kissed her, his hand on her waist naturally slid into her clothes. It knead and pinched her soft skin sensually, and her heart was quickly enshrouded by an unfamiliar and indistinct delight.


    Her young yet also mature body was too easily excited.This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 180. OLD ACQUAINTANCE

    Luckily, her earlier words had affected Ian because he didn¡¯t do much more than that. After having tasted his fill, he pulled her hand to his heart, and as he kissed her onest time, he softly whispered, ¡°I don¡¯t have much patience, so don¡¯t dy too long and test my fortitude.¡±


    And with that, he let her go and left.


    He got up ¡­ and left.


    Amber looked at the closing door, still somewhat numb.


    But he really had left, as if he wouldn¡¯t be able to ever leave if he were even a bit slower.


    Amber looked at her hand and fell into a deep daze. She could still feel his lingering touch, a strange mix of hardness and softness.


    She released a pent up breath, picked up her phone, and sent Ian a message. ¡°Why me?¡±


    He didn¡¯t respond.


    After a long time, as Amber was flipping back and forth in bed trying to fall asleep, her phone suddenly beeped.This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.


    She hurriedly opened it, and it was a reply from Ian, only three short words. I don¡¯t know.


    She didn¡¯t know how long he had thought for before giving her this response.


    She knew that this wasn¡¯t a half-hearted reply. And as she looked at it, she felt a sense of calmness and contentment fill her heart, and she couldn¡¯t help a small smile from creeping onto her face.


    Later, Amber sent Ian another text message. ¡°If two lovers truly have intense feelings for each other, then there¡¯s no reason for them to stick together from dawn to dusk. No matter how long they are separated, their feelings for each other will be reaffirmed through their gazes the moment they meet.


    The same is true for dates. Regr dates aren¡¯t always at a fixed time. Two people deeply in love are still independent people, with their own responsibilities and hobbies. They¡¯ll work when they¡¯re busy, and they¡¯ll meet when they¡¯re not. That¡¯s a normal rtionship.¡±


    She was almost tantly telling him, ¡®Dear, don¡¯t be so fixated on having pre-scheduled dates. Love isn¡¯t aputer program, and if you¡¯re busy, then we can just have fewer dates during that period, ok?¡¯


    This time, Ian responded very quickly, but with only five words, though that was two more than before. ¡°You¡¯re trying to dupe me.¡±


    She spat out a mouthful of tea.


    Amber had been cradling her phone and identally choked herself wide awake.


    Because it was really toote, and because she still had to work tomorrow, Amber didn¡¯t reply. But in her heart, she thought that, if she had time, that she definitely had to properly discuss this with him. She also couldn¡¯t handle having a date every two days over the long term.


    Since it was around the time for sses to start back up again, Amber would have to start working and preparing lectures. It would be impossible for her to not work overtime.


    ***


    The next day, at noon, Amber went out to get lunch with Susan. Somehow, they even picked up a patient along the way.


    Susan had originally invited Amber out to lunch yesterday, but Amber hadn¡¯t been free as Trysta had already made an appointment with her. Thus, she could only push the lunch with Susan back a day, to noon today.


    As soon as Amber got off work, she went to the gynecology department to look for Susan. Coincidentally, she also ran into one of her middle school ssmates there.


    He was the husband, his wife had just given birth a month ago, and the two of them were here for a checkup.


    When Amber came over, Susan was currently scolding the two of them, but mainly Amber¡¯s ssmate. ¡°Do you live in a forest? Do you have to cross a mountain to get to the hospital? If there¡¯s any difort, then you have to go to the hospital. This ismon knowledge!


    And as for you, just because you married him, it doesn¡¯t mean that you sold yourself to him. Your body¡¯s irrevocably yours. If you don¡¯t take good care of it, then who will?¡±


    When Amber poked her head in, Susan stopped shouting, and the man getting scolded immediately recognized her. ¡°Amber?¡±


    Once the two started reminiscing, Susan stopped scolding them, and the wife even stopped crying.


    Amber¡¯s former ssmate lived somewhat close to her parents¡¯ home, but after they had graduated from middle school, the two of them had gone to different high schools. And since Amber spent very little time at home, they almost never ran into each other.


    It was already surprising that he had recognized her at first nce.


    And then all four of them went out for food. They had to, after all, from Amber¡¯s ssmate¡¯s point of view. One of them was an old ssmate he hadn¡¯t seen in a long time, and the other was the doctor taking care of his wife, he couldn¡¯t neglect either of them.


    Afterwards, Susanughed at her. ¡°You¡¯re really even busier than a CEO. I can¡¯t even get a private lunch with you even with an advance appointment.¡±


    Amber was also helpless. After all, what could she do about this situation? When the ssmate and his wife went to their car, she quietly asked, ¡°What happened to them?¡±


    Susan massaged her forehead as she exined, ¡°Her womb prpsed, and because they didn¡¯t see a doctor in time, it wasn¡¯t treated properly. Now, it¡¯s all a big mess. I gave her a device to help her recover, but she was so afraid of it that she started crying. My god, what¡¯s the matter with these people?¡±


    She shot another re at Amber. ¡°If not for you, then I wouldn¡¯t be having lunch with patients like these. They only give me headaches!¡±


    Amber sped her wrists reassuringly. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ll treat you to a big feast some other time.¡±


    Susan lightly harrumphed.


    But Amber¡¯s ssmate was actually quite witty as he had been working in business for quite a while, and his words flowed naturally, almost like aedy routine.


    The wife, on the other hand, seldomly spoke, and her gaze always ended upnding on Amber¡¯s body. It contained a sense of examination and wariness, and also a confused mix of envy and admiration.

 Chapter 181. FIRST LOVE?

    Amber could understand her behavior, as it was the almost instinctive nature of a female to prevent their mate from going after fresher meat. Thus Amber remained very self-aware throughout the entire lunch, making sure not to proactively start up a conversation with the husband.


    She felt that her behavior clearly showed that she wasn¡¯t interested in him, but halfway through the lunch, the wife started crying out of nowhere.


    The other three were all startled, and Amber¡¯s ssmate turned angry after he recovered from his initial shock. As he looked at Amber and Susan awkwardly, he ground his teeth and reprimanded, ¡°What¡¯s the problem with you?¡±


    But that only made his wife start crying more violently. She didn¡¯t make any noises, and justid down on the table looking particrly upset,pletely unresponsive to her husband.


    Her condition didn¡¯t improve even after everyone tried to pacify her, and Amber¡¯s ssmate became extremely infuriated. He even hoisted her up and said, ¡°It looks like we can¡¯t continue this lunch, so we¡¯ll be leaving first. Amber, I¡¯m sorry about this. Let¡¯s catch up next time.¡±


    He was right about to leave right after speaking, but Amber¡¯s heart felt unwell when she got a glimpse at the wife¡¯s face. She stopped him. ¡°Wait. Give us a moment, as she might not be feeling well. Let¡¯s let Dr. Susan talk with her alone first.¡±


    And then she forced him to let go of her, pulling him outside.


    Amber¡¯s ssmate was spinning in circles outside. ¡°I really don¡¯t know what¡¯s up with her, always going crazy like that!¡±


    Amber nced at him from the side. ¡°Was she always like this?¡±


    She received a re back from her ssmate. ¡°Of course not! If she acted like this in the past, then I wouldn¡¯t have married her! However, after she got pregnant, I don¡¯t know what happened. She just keeps crying.


    Even when I tell her that crying too much will hurt the baby¡¯s development, she continues to cry! If I tell her that it¡¯ll hurt her to sit for too long, she cries! If the baby messes around at night, then even before the baby starts bawling, she cries! I really can¡¯t stand it anymore!¡±


    ¡°Besides crying, has she exhibited any other abnormal behavior? For example, suicidal thoughts.¡±


    Amber¡¯s ssmate casually responded, ¡°No. She did mention it a few times when she got upset, but those were just words spoken out of anger.¡±


    Amber was speechless by his callousness.


    She turned around and reentered the restaurant again. Susan was still trying to calm down the new mother, and when she saw Amber enter, she discreetly shook her head.


    Amber kneeled down by the mother¡¯s side. ¡°Shall I have someone pour you some water and help you wash your face? It¡¯s all dirty from crying. You won¡¯t look nice like this.¡±


    And then she called a waitress over to do just that, helping her clean up. The mother cooperated this time, but she obstinately did everything herself, refusing any of Amber¡¯s help. When she finished, she started tearing up again upon seeing her swollen eyes in the mirror.


    Then, she looked at Amber and said, ¡°I know you. He always talks about you. He even has your photos at home, and always says that you were his first love.¡±


    Amber and Susan were both shocked by this revtion, with both of them left dazed and open-mouthed.


    When she regained her senses, Susan startedughing at Amber. As for Amber, she continued to look earnestly at her ssmate¡¯s wife as she consoled, ¡°One¡¯s first love neversts. You¡¯re the lucky one who ended up marrying him in the end.¡±


    ¡°Ha!¡± Upon hearing this, the wife startedughing mirthlessly, her face revealing an ashen expression that Amber was all too familiar with.


    ¡°Lucky? But why do I feel that I¡¯m pitiful?¡± She looked at Amber forlornly. ¡°I used to be just like you, wearing beautiful clothes, smiling easily and naturally ¡­.¡±


    And then she broke down into tears again.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    This time, even Susan stopped smiling, her face quickly turning severe.


    Amber went out and told her ssmate, ¡°Your wife might be suffering from postnatal depression. I rmend that you take her back to the hospital.¡±


    Common people like her ssmate, however, werergely unaware that such mental problems even existed. As soon as she said this, her charming and witty ssmate even replied, ¡°What? She¡¯s depressed despite having such a good life? Is she crazy?¡±


    Susan said from the side, ¡°From your words, with a husband like you, it¡¯d be abnormal if she weren¡¯t depressed.¡±


    Without any further ado, Amber brought both of them back to the hospital and added the wife to her list of patients.


    After the check-up and interview, she conclusively identified it as a somewhat more severe case of postnatal depression. Her ssmate¡¯s wife was mired in very heavy thoughts, and had even tried to kill herself a couple of times before.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think that jokes are just jokes. Every joke has a grain of truth within it. To patients suffering from depression, jokes about wanting to die, wanting to kill someone, and wanting the world to end are all matters to be taken seriously.¡±


    On the first day of ss, Amber used her ssmate¡¯s wife as a case study for her students. ¡°The patient¡¯s husband made the worst possible mistake by assuming that the immediate months after childbirth would be a pleasurable time for the patient.


    This is because he thought that she would merely sit in bed and rest while he provided food and drinks for her, and thus that her depression was just her being unreasonable.


    In practice, however, many new mothers feel emotional pressure due to the pain, anxiety, and the shift in attention from close family members. This pressure is sometimes alleviated by their newborn baby and their love for their family members, but can otherwise lead to depression of varying severity.


    ¡°Thus, as gentlemen, I hope that all of my male students will be understanding and caring with their wives when they be fathers. Though you won¡¯t be able to alleviate all of their pain, you can at least give them all of your encouragement and love.


    For new mothers in this time of duress, every bit of tolerance and doting from their most intimate partner can be a piece of salvation. And as doctors, you must remember to be good listeners. Any doubt that you show may push your wife closer to the abyss.¡±


    The ssroom was silent for a while as the students tried to absorb as much of Amber¡¯s words as they could. A couple minutes passed before a student asked, ¡°Professor, what happened to this patient in the end? How did you deal with it?¡±

 Chapter 182. HE’S TOO SHY

    ¡°This patient¡¯s emotions have currently stabilized. As long as she isn¡¯t stimted any further, she¡¯ll likely recover very quickly. As for how I dealt with it, the first step was to lecture the husband.


    It¡¯s a frightening thing that there aren¡¯t any qualifications to be a parent. Simrly, it¡¯s very frightening when men don¡¯t act as proper husbands after getting married.¡±


    At this point, a male student spoke up. ¡°Professor, you¡¯ve been targeting us guys a lot today. This isn¡¯t fair! What about our female ssmates? Don¡¯t you have any rmendations for them?¡±


    ¡°Of course I do.¡± As Amber said this, her gaze swept over the young students. She was somewhat surprised, because she once again saw Daren in the crowd. There was a period of time when he had stoppeding to her sses, so she didn¡¯t expect him toe again, especially not now, at the start of the new year.


    Diverting her gaze away, Amber continued, saying, ¡°The suggestion I have for you girls out there is that, if you¡¯re not prepared for it, then don¡¯t rush things. Getting married and giving birth is a huge event in one¡¯s life, and you should only do so after careful consideration.


    And once you¡¯ve prepared yourself, then you should remember to love yourself while also loving others. The world is sorge, and society so free, that there will be numerous opportunities for everyone. Thus, there¡¯s really no reason to fixate on any particr person. Remember this, you¡¯re most charming as an independent person.¡±


    By the end of the lesson, Amber had wandered severely off-topic, going from depression to independence. At the very least, it was an interesting and meaningful conversation, and no one seemed to care all that much.


    The ss seemed to fly by. When the discussion concluded and Amber saw Daren pack up and prepare to leave, she quickly called him back.


    When Daren heard her call out to him, he stood dazed, his face ming red out of embarrassment, almost as if steam were about toe out of his head.


    Amber paused, unsure of what to do. He was so shy that she was really worried that he might faint.


    She packed up her teaching materials and walked over with her kindest and most genial expression. However, Daren remained paralyzed behind his desk. As he looked at her, his body started shaking, and his eyes almost teared up.


    Amber was still speechless.


    She couldn¡¯t help but inspect herself, and she touched her face as she asked, ¡°Do I look scary?¡±


    He shook his head.


    ¡°Then that¡¯s good.¡± Amber smiled and took a sweet out of her pocket. ¡°Would you like this?¡±


    She ced it next to his hands. His fingers twitched, but he didn¡¯t take it, though Amber didn¡¯t mind.


    She smiled again as she asked, ¡°There was a very long period of time where I didn¡¯t see you. Are you free in the afternoon? Can I treat you to lunch?¡±


    She actually wanted to chat with Daren, as she wanted to see if she could understand Ian more through him.This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    She had always felt that Ian¡¯s illness stemmed from some earlier event in his life, and since she was now mentally ok with being in a rtionship with him, she naturally wanted to speed up his treatment.


    Actually, she could have asked Ian¡¯s grandparents about his past as well, but the two of them looked at their grandson with rose-tinted sses.


    For them, besides the fact that he hadn¡¯t married yet, everything else he did was fine and free from problems. Thus, Amber had turned to Daren instead.


    But she had underestimated Daren¡¯s shyness. Right after she spoke, he shuddered and nced at her as if in fear before running away, crying!


    He was actually crying, and Amber could tell because there were a few teardrops on his desk.


    Of course, the proffered sweet was gone, as he hadn¡¯t forgotten to grab it before he ran away.


    Amber stared open-mouthed as she stared at Daren¡¯s back, which was moving farther and farther away by the second. She slowly shook her head as she retracted the still-extended hand.


    ***


    Later, when Amber was going home, she called Ruby and asked him, ¡°How much do you know about Ian¡¯s brother?¡±


    She had just tossed this question out casually because she felt that Daren was seriously too shy and a bit strange. But unexpectedly, her brother anxiously responded, ¡°Why are you asking about him all of a sudden?¡±


    Well attuned to her brother¡¯s moods, Amber quickly noticed that something was amiss and instead of replying, she asked, ¡°Why are you so nervous?¡±


    She frowned before suspiciously asking, ¡°You didn¡¯t do anything to him, did you?¡±


    Ruby¡¯s side was silent. ¡°¡­.¡±


    A long silence.


    Amber had to repeat ¡°Hello?¡± a few times before Ruby eventually said, ¡°Huh? I was busy just now. What did you say just now?¡±


    The siblings knew each other too well after spending so many years together, and his reaction was so natural that even though Amber was suspicious, it gave her no hint as to what had happened between him and Daren. Thus, she just asked the question again.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t discover anything. That fellow¡¯s even harder to get close to than his brother. He¡¯s too shy, and it¡¯s nearly impossible to get anything out of him.¡±


    Amber was a bit surprised. ¡°You actually managed to get some information about him? Then what about Ian? Do you know anything about him?¡±


    Ruby chuckled wryly. ¡°You¡¯re investigating your own boyfriend? Don¡¯t worry. He doesn¡¯t care for alcohol, women, or wealth. In fact, the only thing he does is y cards on the side.


    Even then, he always ys with the same group of people, and he usually doesn¡¯t y with strangers. From the standards you women look at men with, he¡¯s fine. But in my opinion, he¡¯s a bit too boring, though he does fit your personality.¡±


    Amber ignored thest derogatory remark, and was actually very impressed that her brother had found out so much. She was about to say something when her phone suddenly rang. It was a call from Trysta, so Amber said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll talk to you moreter.¡±


    And then she hung up and answered Trysta¡¯s call.


    Trysta had recently moved back in with Frank and Amber had visited her there twice. Besides her intense reaction to her pregnancy, her other problems seemed to be gradually improving, and Trysta herself seemed to have calmed down greatly. Thus, Amber had slowly lowered her guard.


    Because the two had been conversing quite regrly recently, Amber didn¡¯t think much of the call. When it connected, Trysta¡¯s voice was as calm as ever. She insipidly asked, ¡°Amber, can you do me a small favor?¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Frank arranged a meeting with Sarah at Axton Hotel, and I want to know which room they¡¯re in. Can you ask Ian to help?¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±

 Chapter 183. SHE WANTS TO CATCH THEM IN THE ACT

    Right then, Amber fervently wished that she could fly. Then, she cursed that Frank wasn¡¯t in front of her; if he were, she would have kicked him in the face a few times first!


    Was he a person? How long had it been? Including today, it hadn¡¯t even been two months since Trysta¡¯s incident!


    Amber was so infuriated that she started trembling, but when she met up with Trysta, she was startled to see that Trysta almost seemed serene. Trysta even smiled at Amber as she grumbled, ¡°Axton Hotel¡¯s security is too good. I can¡¯t find out which room they¡¯re in no matter who I ask.¡±


    Amber nced at her, and only after confirming that Trysta was truly calm and not just pretending did she take a deep breath and ask, ¡°What in the world is going on?¡±


    The two of them were in Trysta¡¯s living room, sitting on a sofa. Amber had to know the entirety of the situation before she could decide what the best way to help Trysta was-honestly, it wasn¡¯t appropriate to ask Ian for help.


    No matter what Frank was doing in Axton Hotel, as long as he wasn¡¯t breaking thew, it would be illegal for a hotel staff member to reveal a client¡¯s private information.


    Regardless of the legality, Amber was furious with Frank¡¯s actions.


    Trysta didn¡¯t say anything, and just handed her phone to Amber. On the screen was a map of Axton Hotel, and on the map were two dots: onebeled ¡°bastard,¡± and the other ¡°slut.¡±


    Trysta was very blunt.


    At this moment, the two dots were very close to each other, somewhere within Axton Hotel.


    Amber, in disbelief, asked, ¡°You nted a tracking device in their phones?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Amber gaped.


    Trysta smiled. ¡°You want to chastise me and say that it¡¯s illegal, right? But I also have no other choice. I want to get a divorce, but no one around me is alright with that. Since the two of them are so inseparable, then instead of letting them skulk around in the shadows, why don¡¯t I just reveal their actions to everyone, and let them be happy?¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    Her tone, as Frank¡¯s legal wife, was righteous and magnanimous. However, why did it feel so ipatible with her words?


    Amber didn¡¯t even know what to say anymore.


    Trysta continued, saying, ¡°Before you came over, I already contacted Ian, and he refused. Thus, I could only ask you to convince him. Amber, don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t make a big fuss, and I won¡¯t make people feel ufortable. I just want to verify my theory, and to let them know that I¡¯m not an ignorant fool.¡±Original content from N?velDrama.Org.


    Amber was silent. After a while, she sighedmentably. ¡°I might not be able to convince him.¡±


    Ian was a particrly principled man, and she could almost write an entire book on the walls that he had erected around himself. Furthermore, something like this would clearly be damaging to Axton Hotel¡¯s reputation.


    Trysta then said, ¡°Please try. If it works, then it works. Otherwise, that¡¯s fine as well. Since they¡¯re still meeting up, they surely won¡¯t only meet at Axton Hotel, and not all hotels are as secure with their clients¡¯ privacy as Axton Hotel.¡±


    After Trysta said this, she lowered her gaze and smiled lightly. ¡°It¡¯s just that I want to stop thinking about him as soon as I can.¡±


    Thisst sentence sounded normal, but Amber¡¯s eyelids involuntarily twitched, as she had the creeping suspicion that Trysta was nning something again.


    It was onlyter on that Amber realized why Trysta needed Ian¡¯s help. Although Axton Hotel¡¯s system seemed normal at first nce, and although any of the hotel employees could get into the system, there was one part that no one else could ess.


    ¡°The virtual space is what distinguishes Axton Hotel from other hotels, and apparently, the architecture is patterned like a honeb. The rooms aren¡¯t connected anywhere, and even if I did get inside, I wouldn¡¯t know where their room was. Thus, I need the hotel staff¡¯s help.¡±


    Only after Amber asked did she realize that this so-called ¡°virtual space¡± was the underwater adventure that Ian had taken her on that time.


    Honestly, that really was a good ce to do illicit things.


    With that, Amber called Ian without much hope.


    Ever since Amber had told him that their dates didn¡¯t have to be at a fixed time, Ian had finally started dating her only when he had time. However, he had also started ignoring her when he didn¡¯t, causing Amber a fair amount of grief.


    She had been busy recently, and it had been a few days since she hadst seen him.


    When Ian received her call, he was in a meeting. He had been out on a business trip for thest few days, and when he returned, there was a veritable mountain of tasks for him to do in the office.


    Amber concisely exined Trysta¡¯s request, and Ian reply was, expected, ¡°Do you really think that I¡¯d betray my client¡¯s privacy just for this?¡± His tone was cold, and despite knowing that that was just how he was, Amber¡¯s face still turned red, and she could only pretend that she didn¡¯t mind, saying, ¡°Then, alright, sorry to bother you.¡±


    And then she hung up.


    Back in his conference room, Ian nced at his phone briefly before continuing the meeting. During a break, thewyer by his side nosily asked, ¡°Director Axton, who¡¯s trying to investigate our client¡¯s affairs?¡±


    He thought that it might have been the police or some government department doing it unauthorized, because one of Axton Hotel¡¯s biggest selling points was its confidentiality and its fierce protection of its client¡¯s privacy.


    Ian looked down at his file. ¡°Amber.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Thewyer nodded, and then he suddenly realized, ¡®wait ¡­ wasn¡¯t Amber the Dr. Camille from Presbiterian?¡¯


    Thiswyer was the one who had helped the two of them draft an exceedingly strange rtionship agreement, and he had also visited Ian¡¯s ward frequently while he was in the hospital.


    Thus, he clearly understood that, even if his boss hadn¡¯t said anything, his grandparents had already long since decided on her as their granddaughter-inw.


    Ian¡¯s grandmother even called him quite often, saying, ¡°Our little Ian¡¯s not very adept at chasing his girlfriend. So please help give him some pointers if you have the time.¡±


    As he observed Ian¡¯s expression, he carefully said, ¡°Is it really alright for you to reject her like that?¡±


    ¡®Wouldn¡¯t you hurt her with such a direct and officious tone? It¡¯d be fine if you cushioned it at least a little. She is someone you love, after all!¡¯


    Ian nced back at him.


    Thewyer realized that he had made a blunder, and quickly backpedaled, saying, ¡°Dr. Camille doesn¡¯t seem like a nosy person. Did somethinge up?¡±


    ¡®And even if you can¡¯t cushion it, you could at least say a few words about how it¡¯s just standardpany policy or something like that.¡¯


    Ian flipped through his files, coolly replying, ¡°She wants to help someone catch her husband in the act.¡± He raised his head. ¡°Do you want to help her?¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡± Thewyer was speechless.

 Chapter 184. CATCHING BASTARD AND SLUT IN THE ACT

    Amber and Trysta were just nning on leaving when Amber said, ¡°I¡¯ll treat you to a meal.¡±


    A new grilled fish ce had opened up nearby, and her friends had all given it good reviews. And now felt like a good time to try something new.


    Trysta used to like grilled fish very much in the past.


    Trysta smiled dispassionately and stood up unhurriedly, but before the two of them could reach the door, Ian¡¯swyer had arrived.


    He hurriedly called out, ¡°Dr. Camille!¡±


    Amber turned around. She recognized him, and naturally stopped, waited for him to approach, and greeted him politely. ¡°Lawyer Shawn.¡±


    And then she introduced him to Trysta.


    Lawyer Shawn smiled as he saw the two of them. ¡°Are the two of you nning on going somewhere?¡±


    Amber nodded. ¡°Yes.¡±


    She didn¡¯t want to wait here with Trysta. It was still early in the day, and who knew how long Frank and his mistress would stay in there for? What¡¯s more, the excuse that Frank had given to Trysta was that he was having business dealings.


    If a man were to indeed engage in ¡°dealings,¡± then it wouldn¡¯t be strange for him to stay out even through the night. Though, they couldn¡¯t stay there the entire night, could they?This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Waiting was tiring, and Amber didn¡¯t want Trysta to keep tiring herself out like this. What¡¯s more, even if they stood watch here, the hotel portion of Axton had three exits, and the underwater club portion, out of safety considerations, had even more. Thus, they wouldn¡¯t know which entrance to cover even if they wanted to do that.


    But the hotel employees clearly knew which exits were connected to which rooms.


    Because the two of them were at the door, Lawyer Shawn requested them to move one side, and then said with a smile, ¡°Director Axton wishes to invite you both to Wang-Jiang for a meal. It¡¯s quite popr, but given the current time, we won¡¯t have to wait a long while, and the dishes wille out very quickly. It might be annoying for them to serve one dish at a time, so we can ask them to serve it all at once.¡±


    Wang-Jiang Restaurant was another auxiliary venture of Axton¡¯s, opposite them behind a set ofrge doors.


    If Amber didn¡¯t misunderstand Lawyer Shawn¡¯s words, then he was hinting that it was possible for them to catch Frank and Sarah in the act, as long as they waited outside that door and thought of a way to call them out together.


    Amber was silent, but Trysta suddenly asked, ¡°Could it be that there aren¡¯t that many rooms associated with each exit?¡±


    Lawyer Shawn¡¯s eyes opened wide.


    ¡°Twenty?¡± A shake of the head.


    ¡°Ten?¡±


    Another shake.


    ¡°Eight?¡±


    Lawyer Shawn¡¯s head shook even more violently.


    Amber looked at him carefully.


    ¡°There are eight,¡± she told Trysta after some consideration. ¡°When you asid ¡®eight¡¯, his pupils and his facial muscles both contracted. This means that you were right, because he became slightly nervous.¡±


    Lawyer Shawn¡¯s face fell.


    Amber nodded. ¡°Yup, eight rooms, alright.¡±


    Lawyer Shawn couldn¡¯t even think of a response. ¡°¡­.¡±


    Trysta smiled, walked to the front desk, borrowed Amber¡¯s ID, and then forced Lawyer Shawn to help them out. Finally, she booked all the rooms by the Wang-Jiang exit, allegedly for arge group.


    This wasn¡¯t against thew, Trysta had merely requested the rooms closest to that exit.


    Frank was either too unlucky or Trysta too lucky, but because it was just after the New Year, the hotel¡¯s business wasn¡¯t doing so well. And since that area was specially designated as a luxury area, the prices were expensive, meaning that there were even fewer people in that area than the others.


    All in all, there were seven rooms remaining.


    Trysta booked all of them, and then left a room key by the front desk. ¡°There¡¯ll be someone looking for meter. Have theme over directly, please.¡± Then, she took the other set of room keys and went inside with the hotel staff.


    Amber stood silently to one side as all this happened, looking on as Trysta made a few calls. ¡°Come over to Axton Hotel for a moment, and get a room key from the front desk by using my name.¡±


    Lawyer Shawn¡¯s mouth was still agape when he heard this. What happened to not making a fuss and just quietly taking a peek? Didn¡¯t Trysta¡¯s actions seem to be calling a big group of people over? ¡®My goodness, I never knew anything about this. I just came here to help our futuredy boss book a few rooms ¡­.¡¯


    Lawyer Shawn squinted his eyes, emphasized that he didn¡¯t know anything about this, and hurried back to his meeting.


    ***


    When Amber hade to this mysterious area of Axton Hotel with Ian, she hadn¡¯t noticed the surroundings at all. This time ¡­ she still didn¡¯t notice them, as she was very worried about Trysta.


    The only thing Amber could think about the entire way over was what she could say to Trysta. But before Amber could speak, Trysta said, ¡°Yes, I know. I¡¯m not going to make a fuss, and the real reason I¡¯m calling people over is so that I won¡¯t have to deal with the aftermath.¡±


    And Trysta really didn¡¯t make a fuss. Once she confirmed the locations of the seven rooms that she had booked, she calmly knocked on the remaining door, Frank¡¯s door.


    Knock ¡­ knock.


    Sarah was the one who opened the door. She was dressed simply in a bathrobe and her hair was down, loose. But when she saw Trysta, she was so shocked that she couldn¡¯t even say anything, only able to stand there, dazed at the door.


    And then she subconsciously tried to close the door, but before she could, Trysta pushed her aside, grabbed her hand, and threw her onto the bed, causing Sarah to copse in a heap with the equally shocked and dazed Frank.


    Amber then noticed the projections on the walls. ¡®My goodness, it was actually the area outside Wang-Jiang, a real time imageplete with the sound of heavy traffic reverberating from every corner of the room.


    Amber felt somewhat unwell, she didn¡¯t expect that these two people would have such a fetish!


    But Trysta didn¡¯t seem to have even noticed. She merely took out her phone, snapped a few pictures, and then, without saying anything, prepared to leave.


    Sarah, terrified and flustered, tried to hide behind Frank, but Frank pushed her away as he desperately called out, ¡°Tata ¡­ Trysta, listen to me ¡­.¡±

 Chapter 185. LET THEM ALL GO CRAZY

    ¡°Tata ¡­ Trysta, listen to me ¡­.¡±


    Trysta didn¡¯t even turn her head around. Frank mbered out of bed, wanting to chase her, but then he remembered that he was still naked, so he hurriedly covered himself up again.


    Amber couldn¡¯t bear to look at these two sorry people, and she promptly left with Trysta.


    Back in the room, when Frank realized that he wasn¡¯t going to be able to sway Trysta, he instead called out to Amber, ¡°Amber, please help me look after Trysta! She¡¯s still pregnant.¡±


    Upon hearing those words, Trysta hesitated for a moment, and Amber ¡­ stopped moving. Unable to bear it any further, she rolled up her sleeves, rushed back inside, picked up a teapot from the desk, and threw it at the head of the bed without a second thought.


    PRANG!!


    The teapot shattered into a million little pieces, and the two were so scared that they started shrieking shrilly.


    Amidst their screams, Amber coldly yelled, ¡°SHUT UP!¡± And then she left.


    When Amber came out, she saw that a huge group of people had congregated, it was everyone from the Wilson and Yuval families.


    Trysta stood in front of all of them, saying in a voice as cold as ice, ¡°You¡¯re all here? Then go inside.¡±


    She then moved away from the door, letting them enter. Amber stood by one side, supporting her.


    Everyone asked, ¡°Tata, what¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll find out once you go in, won¡¯t you?¡±


    And so they did. When they saw what was going on inside, they didn¡¯t need to ask any more questions. A few furious and startled shouts emerged from inside. ¡°FRANK!¡±


    And someone else eximed, ¡°SARAH? Do you have no sense of propriety?!¡±


    Trysta apathetically stood there outside the room. When Amber tried to hold her hand, it dodged away. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go over there.¡±


    They went into the closest unupied room. Trysta went to wash her hands. She was in there for quite a while, slowly and methodically using the soap to rub each of her fingers. When she was done, she called out to Amber. ¡°You should wash your hands too.¡±


    With how serious Trysta¡¯s tone was, Amber didn¡¯t want to go against her will. She also went inside and washed her hands carefully.


    When she was done, Trysta said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± This time, she took the initiative to grab Amber¡¯s hand.


    They passed by Frank¡¯s room on their way out. No one had remembered to close the door, so everyone could hear the bigmotion inside. Trysta hesitated for a moment, and then asked Amber, ¡°Amber, can you help me bring my mom and the others out, please?¡±


    Amber looked toward her questioningly. Trysta smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll wait right here for you. I promise I won¡¯t go anywhere.¡±


    From start to end, Trysta had been so deathly calm that Amber was starting to be very worried. But in the end, she did enter to bring Trysta¡¯s parents and brothers out.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    When Amber stepped inside the room, Trysta¡¯s two brothers were fiercely kicking and punching the bed, whereas the Yuval family was trying to stop them. Trysta¡¯s parents stood to the side, shouting out at the two of them.


    It was absolute bem.


    Amber honestly didn¡¯t think that she would ever see such a scene in her life, and she had to sacrifice a teacup before she could grab Trysta family¡¯s attention to direct them out.


    Their faces were all as heavy as lead as they continued to shout and yell. However, when they came out and saw Trysta standing outside, they instantly fell silent.


    Trysta calmly opened her mouth. ¡°Do you think that I can keep going like this?¡±


    Her second brother said, ¡°Even if you¡¯re going to get a divorce, you can¡¯t just let them go like that! Frank¡¯s actions are intolerable, and especially Sarah ¡­ what kind of person is she!?¡±


    Both of Trysta¡¯s parents had ugly expressions on their face, but they didn¡¯t say anything.


    Trysta unemotionally said, ¡°Then please help me talk to them about it. I don¡¯t want to see them for another second. Also, stop fighting. Don¡¯t get your hands dirty.¡±


    Her family was shocked by her incisive words, as they expected her to be the most vocal out of all of them. Everyone looked at her.


    Trysta added, ¡°I¡¯m serious. With the way it is now, what¡¯s the point of hitting him? Let¡¯s talk about something more practical instead.¡±


    And with that, she walked away as she pulled Amber along.


    Amber was pretending to be a wallflower, and she exhaled lightly once they exited.


    Trysta nced at her. ¡°Are you scared?¡±


    Amber shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m just worried about you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± But when Trysta saw that Amber hadn¡¯t taken her words to heart, Trysta leaned against Amber¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m serious. I already went crazy once, so now, it¡¯s time to let the rest of them all go crazy for a little.¡±


    At that moment, Amber didn¡¯t understand Trysta¡¯s meaning. She thought Trysta was just referring to the bigmotion earlier, but onlyter did she find out that Frank had contracted AIDS, apparently from Sarah, and Sarah had supposedly slept with a man at a night club.


    Currently, Amber didn¡¯t know the events that had already transpired, so she just felt slightly difited by Trysta¡¯s behavior. All she could do was do her best to clear up her mind.


    Trysta was also very obedient, even pulling her and saying, ¡°Let¡¯s all go eat some grilled fish. Call your Ian Axton over too, and Silvia ¡­.¡± She mentioned a few more names, both male and female. They were all her ssmates from high school, with whom she¡¯d maintained good rtionships.


    Amber was indifferent towards the ssmates, but she said, ¡°Let¡¯s forget about Ian, shall we? He¡¯s been quite busytely.¡±


    But as if he were trying to make her eat her words, Amber¡¯s phone rang immediately after she finished speaking. Amber took it out, and the two of them looked at the two characters on the screen ¡°IAN AXTON¡±.


    Trysta looked at her withughter spilling from her chest.

 Chapter 186. THEIR INTIMATE

    Amber was somewhat speechless. Before she could even decide whether or not she was going to pick up the phone, Trysta had already answered it for her.


    Ian¡¯s cool voice could immediately be heard from the phone. ¡°Where are you?¡±


    Trysta answered for Amber. ¡°Right outside Axton Hotel.¡±


    Ian stilled for a moment. ¡°Give her the phone.¡±Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Trysta clicked her tongue in annoyance before turning away, uninterested.


    Amber turned off the speakerphone setting, and answered with a ¡°Hello?¡±


    Ian directly said, ¡°I¡¯m free today.¡±


    Amber wanted to smile, but her heart was still heavy from the recent events. She sighed. ¡°We¡¯re going to get some grilled fish. Do you want to join us?¡±


    ¡°Anything¡¯s fine with me.¡±


    And so, the two of them sat there, waiting for Ian. Trysta had already called up the others on her phone. Because today wasn¡¯t a weekend, not many people were able to make it. Silvia was self-employed, however, so she came over right away.


    Trysta didn¡¯t give up despite the setbacks, and managed to wrangle up a few other people. It seemed as if it would be a lively gathering.


    In the end, they were actually able to get a whole table of people. When Silvia saw that Ian was also present, she nudged Amber teasingly. ¡°If you drag so many lightbulbs along behind you, aren¡¯t you afraid that he¡¯ll get angry?¡±


    Amber sarcastically replied, ¡°Are you going to leave if I¡¯m afraid?¡±


    ¡°I will when I¡¯m full.¡±


    Amber nudged her back, and Silvia dodged away with a smile, and then went to bother Trysta. ¡°What¡¯s the matter today? You called me up so enthusiastically.¡±


    Trysta cryptically answered, ¡°I can¡¯t tell you yet.¡±


    Silvia stretched her hand out and rubbed Trysta¡¯s stomach caringly. ¡°It¡¯s not that you have twins, is it?¡±


    Trysta shook her head. Amber saw that Trysta¡¯s expression seemed perfectlyfortable, and she consoled herself with the fact that Trysta seemed to have finally gotten over Frank now.


    Her attention was still all focused on Trysta, so she naturally neglected Ian. However, he had a pretty strong presence, and even if he just sat there without speaking, no one would disregard him.


    It was because he was too handsome, all right?


    ording to Silvia¡¯s words, ¡°He¡¯d be able to get an extra bowl of rice just based on his looks.¡±


    Besides his looks, there was another reason behind Ian¡¯s strong presence. It wasn¡¯t his conversing ability; rather, it was his ability to grill these small river fish that were about the size of a hand.


    Compared to the others who were either horribly disfiguring their fish or just eating the ones prepared by the restaurant, only he was grilling them until they were perfectly golden-brown on both sides, the mouthwatering aroma spreading everywhere.


    He didn¡¯t eat the fish himself, and instead handed them over to Amber when he was done. Amber gave the first one that she received to Trysta, and she only kept the second one.


    Silvia cheekily stretched out her hand from the side. ¡°Your fish¡¯s getting cold. If you don¡¯t want to eat it, I will.¡±


    Amber was currently conversing with Trysta, and didn¡¯t think too much about Silvia¡¯s words. She handed the fish over to the outstretched hand in front of her. But then, while she was talking with Trysta, the hand that was holding her face up felt a sudden sting of pain.


    When Amber turned around, she saw that Ian was prodding it with a bamboo skewer meant for grilling fish.


    Amber was speechless. ¡®Did he have to be so childish?¡¯


    She silently lowered her hand, grabbed that skewer, and then grasped his hand. She could feel Ian¡¯s fingers stiffen slightly as they fell into her palm, and then they very quickly rxed, obediently allowing her to hold them.


    Ian stopped grilling fish, sat by her side, propped up his jaw with his other hand, and started just looking at her. He looked until Amber felt like his gaze was about to burn a hole into that side of her face. Without any other choice, she turned around and asked, ¡°Do you want to have some fish?¡±


    His tone was cool. ¡°Alright.¡±


    Only then did Amber let go of his hand to help him grill some fish. Her technique wasn¡¯t as good as his, but her posture was beautiful. She moved neither too slow nor too fast, and her fingers holding the skewer were long and white, very pleasing to look at.


    In the end, she burned one side of the fish, and as she embarrassingly picked off the charred side with a red face, she asked, ¡°Do you still want it?¡±


    Ian nodded, so she delicately removed the intact meat, and in passing, also removed all of the bones. As she diligently worked on the fish, from Ian¡¯s angle, he was looking at her drooping eyshes, refined nose, and tightly pursed red lips.


    The temperature in the grilled fish store was quite high, so she had long since removed her jacket, leaving on only a knitted dark blue crew neck that showed off a glimpse of her corbone.


    Despite the fact that she hadn¡¯t put on any makeup or was wearing any essories, she still looked elegant and sexy.


    Arranged around her in a circle were her friends, talking and conversing without a care. Framed in the lively atmosphere, she was as pretty as a spring flower in full bloom, exuding a quiet joy that came from her vibrant blossoming.


    Ian used to hate this sort of environment, but in this moment, he suddenly felt that it wasn¡¯t too bad: staying by her side, socializing with friends along with her, going home together. Throughout it all, his heart felt warm and fuzzy.


    Amber didn¡¯t realize that Ian¡¯s heart had softened, and she ced the fish on his te. ¡°Alright, try it. It should be ready.¡± He didn¡¯t react, so she raised her head quizzically. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    He still didn¡¯t answer, only lowering his head and using his chopsticks to silently eat the fish.


    ¡°Is it alright?¡± she asked as she leaned over, bringing her faint fragrance towards him.


    Ian picked up some of the fish and held it in front of her mouth. Amber hesitated a little, but still ate it as her face blushed faintly.


    Their intimate behavior didn¡¯t go unnoticed by the people next to them. Amber¡¯s ssmates, unable to ignore it further, finally pped the table raucously and said, ¡°Hey, hey, hey! We¡¯re all still here!¡±

 Chapter 187. LET’S LIFT THE BAN

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe that I have to watch the two of you go at it all the time. I can¡¯t live like this! Drink, drink, drink! Amber, if you don¡¯t drink three sses of wine from me, then I¡¯m going to break off our friendship!¡± Silvia even rolled up her sleeves.


    Ian had to drive, so he was able to avoid drinking, but Amber was forced to down the three cups. Then they made up excuses to make her drink two more cups, and by the time they were done with the meal, she was tipsy and stumbling around.


    Trysta was brought away by her brother, and the others left clear-headed. Thus, the dazed Amber was left to be brought home by Ian.


    Once they reached her building, Ian dragged her out of his car. She leaned on his shoulder, trying hard to recognize him and even called out to him. ¡°Ian.¡± Her mouth was filled with the scent of alcohol and grilled fish, but he actually didn¡¯t mind, lowering his head to kiss her gently on the lips.


    ¡°Can you walk?¡±


    She nodded, particrly obedient.


    Ian couldn¡¯t help but smile at her cute reactions. He patiently looked at her for quite a while before half-carrying and half hugging her up the stairs. Once they were inside her apartment, however, he couldn¡¯t resist anymore, and started kissing her frantically and continuously.


    He kissed her with a bit too much strength, to the point where Amber felt ufortable. She pushed his head to one side, but Ian roughly shoved his hand inside her clothes and kneaded her breast, feeling the silkiness and warmth of skin and the pulse of her heartbeat.


    The coolness of his fingers counteracted the alcoholic heat suffusing her body. Shezily leaned against him, passively allowing him to do whatever he wanted. However, her consciousness was still there, and she slowly reprimanded, ¡°Ian, we can¡¯t do this.¡±


    He didn¡¯t say anything, only burying his head further in and kissing her. They traveled down her neck, his hands still constantly rubbing against her.


    When his hands started unbuttoning her pants, she had no choice but to stop him. ¡°Ian.¡±


    Her voice was soft and cottony.


    Ian nced at her, kissed her mouth, and as he did so, he said, ¡°As you once said, suppressing my sexual desire is harmful for me.¡± He lifted her up. ¡°Dr. Camille, let¡¯s lift the ban.¡±


    Amber couldn¡¯t even think of a reply. ¡°¡­.¡±


    She could actually feel Ian¡¯s excitement. They¡¯d been apart these past few days not only because Amber was busy, but also because she was partially trying to avoid him.


    When they weren¡¯t in close proximity, it was still all right. But once they actually got close, there was a chance of him losing control of himself.


    Amber didn¡¯t know how she could stop him, actually. There wasn¡¯t much wrong with just going along with the flow. In this era, rtionships between men and women were just that, but Amber always felt somewhat apprehensive and unwilling about doing the deed-rather than physical satiation, she preferred tonic love.


    She hadn¡¯t reached that level of intimacy with Ian yet.


    After Amber drank some alcohol, even though her mind was more or less clear, she was still a bit muddleheaded-she only knew that the time was wrong, but not how to stop him. In the end, she let him do as he pleased, thinking, ¡®Alright, if I can¡¯t prevent him, then I¡¯ll let him be.¡¯


    And then the big door behind them opened up a crack.Original content from N?velDrama.Org.


    Ian turned around, and it was his turn to be speechless, because Ruby was standing there.


    Ruby was also very depressed, allright?! When the two of them started acting intimately as soon as he entered, he felt like he was about to go blind.


    He subconsciously averted his gaze. ¡°Damn, did Ie at the wrong time?¡±


    Ian pretended to not have seen him at all, and obstinately carried Amber inside. In the end, it was Amber who stopped him, clutching at the door frame and calling out, ¡°Ian!¡±


    This time, she really was awake.


    Ian bit her lips fiercely. ¡°Do you want to see him like this?¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡± Amber was speechless.


    She went inside to put on her clothes properly while Ian sat by the side with an ugly expression on his face. Amber didn¡¯t have the time to care about him and left the room as soon as she was properly dressed.


    Ruby had yet to leave, he was meandering around outside the bedroom door and wondering whether or not he should enter.


    When Amber came out, he exaggeratedly let out a deep breath and grumbled, ¡°Answer your phone next time! You didn¡¯t pick up, so I thought that you were asleep. And since I wouldn¡¯t be a bother, I was just going to crash with you for the night.¡±


    Amber felt that, after meeting Ian, her skin had started thickening at a rapid rate. Even in this situation, she was able to calmly say to her brother, ¡°My phone¡¯s probably dead. Why are you sleeping over here?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m too tired andzy to go back. I picked up a new engineering project right by your hospital, and your ce is close by.¡± After Ruby said this, he nced inside Amber¡¯s bedroom, walked over to Amber¡¯s side, and pushed her aside. He seemed to want to say something, but his nose twitched and he frowned. ¡°You were drinking?¡±


    Amber made an ¡®Oh¡¯ sound.


    ¡°My god!¡± Ruby rolled up his sleeves. ¡°He wasn¡¯t trying to take advantage of you while you were drunk, was he?¡±


    Given Amber¡¯s terrible alcohol tolerance, he could actually see this happening. Amber looked at him curiously.


    ¡°Are you going to fight him?¡± Then, she waved her hands dismissively. ¡°Go for it.¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±

 Chapter 188. FIGHT, FIGHT!

    Ruby sat back down again.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so cruel to me. I¡¯m your brother.¡± He rolled down his sleeves again, and his expression turned severe and his tone serious. ¡°What¡¯s more, it¡¯s not like I have a say in you two¡¯s affairs.¡±


    And then he added on very shamelessly, ¡°I¡¯m going to go to sleep. Don¡¯t make too much noise during the night. Just remember, your brother¡¯s outside.¡±


    Amber threw a pillow and nkets at him.


    Ruby jumped up, grabbed them, and slid into the guest room.


    Along, Ambery down on the sofa. She felt so embarrassed that she knocked her head against the armrest a couple of times, but instead of bing more clearheaded, her headache just worsened.


    ***


    When she returned to her bedroom, Ian was sitting in front of her desk, so gloomily that she could almost see mushrooms sprouting around him. His eyshes were drooping, and he had one hand on the table, a finger picking restlessly at the surface.


    ¡°Stop that. You¡¯re going to dig a hole in the desk.¡±


    He ignored her, continuing to pick at it. Amber decided to try to reason with him. ¡°How about you go and take a cold shower?¡±


    He continued to ignore her, still picking at the table.


    That rustling noise sounded like a mouse gnawing at food, and it was enough to drive someone crazy.


    Amber had to walk over and forcefully grab his hand. ¡°Really, stop-¡±


    But she was cut off because Ian had stopped picking at the table and had instead pushed her whole body onto it. He grabbed her hand, thrust it by ¡®the tent¡¯ in his pants, and hoarsely demanded, ¡°Deal with it!¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    Amber wanted to curse, but she steeled herself, curled up her fingers, and ground her teeth instead. ¡°Aren¡¯t you scared that I¡¯ll break it off?¡±This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    He tore off his pants with one hand. ¡°Then break it!¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    Amber was forced to lower her standards, and helped this uncouth person deal with his personal problem. Even when her arm became sore, he still wasn¡¯t satisfied.


    ¡°It still feels ufortable.¡± He stared at her with a burning, lustful gaze.


    It made Amber furious, so much so that she leapt on him and fiercely bit down at him indiscriminately. In response, Ian hugged her as he also rolled onto the bed. Then, they fought.


    They just wrestled, not doing anything else. Of course, as they wrestled, they rolled all over the bed and pressed their bodies against each other. Ian also took advantage of this opportunity to fondle her all over her body, so besides the veryst step, they had essentially done everything else.


    As to why they never ended up taking thatst step, it was because Ruby was in the room directly opposite them!


    Mr. Axton had read books, and he had also heard his friends talk about how during a woman¡¯s first time, she would make a bigmotion. So,st time in the washroom, he¡¯d resisted the temptation to do it, and he wasn¡¯t going to do it now for the same reason, the environment wasn¡¯t appropriate!


    Finally, once both of them were tired of tussling, Ian even dragged Amber into the bathroom to shower. Then, they had to change the bedsheets before he was finally ready to sleep.


    ***


    When Amber woke up the next day, she saw Ian sleeping in an orderly fashion by her side. The disparity betweenst night¡¯s events almost made her think that she¡¯d jumped a few months back in time, only regaining her senses when she realized that she was in her apartment.


    And then she noticed a red mark by Ian¡¯s neck, almost like a shell ne. In her memories, she recalled one scene that seemed to involve her biting and gnawing at his neck. ¡°If you bite me, then I¡¯m going to bite you too!¡±


    ¡®¡­ Honestly, could I have been any more childish?!¡¯


    Amber had never done anything crazy while drunk, so she didn¡¯t know what hade over herst night. And Ian had no intention of hiding it at all, he woke up not long after Amber, because he didn¡¯t have a change of clothes, and he walked around just draped in a towel, fully putting his ¡°wounded¡± body on disy-and the only reason he even used a towel was because Ruby was there.


    Ruby was woken up by the fragrant aromaing from the kitchen, and when he came out, he immediately came face to face with Ian. He was so shocked that his lower jaw looked like it was about to fall off. ¡°My goodness, is my sister really this fierce?¡±


    Ian looked down at his body, ignored Ruby, went into the kitchen, and dered, ¡°I¡¯m hungry.¡±


    And then Ruby heard his sister¡¯s exasperated voice. ¡°Why did youe out dressed like this?!¡±


    Ian¡¯s calm voice replied back, ¡°I don¡¯t have any clothes.¡±


    After a short pause, he added on, ¡°You made it dirty.¡±


    Ruby was struck speechless by this exchange. ¡°¡­.¡±


    Nope, he wasn¡¯t thinking of anything dirty at all ¡­.


    Breakfast that morning was an embarrassing affair. Of course, it was only embarrassing for Amber and Ruby. While Mr. Axton had a veryfortable time because even though Amber was angry, she was still concerned about him.


    When she served breakfast, Ruby picked up a bowl, and Amber said, ¡°That¡¯s not yours, yours is the other.¡±


    Ruby confusedly asked, ¡°Is there a reason?¡±


    Amber fiercely replied, ¡°There¡¯s poison in this bowl. Do you still want it?¡±


    And then she handed that bowl to Ian. He nced at it and recalled that this was the one he¡¯d usedst time. He immediately felt strangely touched upon realizing that she had left it specially for him.


    ***


    After breakfast, Ian wiped his lips and told Amber dan Ruby, who were about to slip away, ¡°I¡¯m nning on moving in.¡±


    He then first looked at Ruby. ¡°In the future, if you¡¯re nning on sleeping over, please make a reservation beforehand.¡±


    Then, he looked at Amber. ¡°The interior decoration of this ce is too strange. Before moving in, I intend on refurbishing the entire apartment.¡±


    Amber and Ruby¡¯s faces: OvO

 Chapter 189. MR. AXTON TOOK OVER

    After quite a while, Ruby asked his sister, falteringly, ¡°Did you sell this apartment?¡±


    Amber staunchly replied, ¡°No.¡±


    Then Ruby hit the table. ¡°My god, if you didn¡¯t sell it, then why did he say that in such a justified manner? Does he even understand who the owner of this apartment is?¡± He raised his eyes, looking straight back at Ian¡¯s still gaze.


    Ian calmly asked, ¡°Do you have a problem with that?¡±


    Rubyughed. ¡°Ha!¡±


    ¡°Axton¡¯s project in Hainan ¡­ you¡¯re part of it, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Hahahaha! As the young head of the household and the inhabitant¡¯s brother,¡± Ruby said as he suddenly had a shamelessly dramatic change in his attitude, ¡°I feel like this apartment¡¯s decor is indeed very strange. If you don¡¯t like it, then feel free to change it! Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t be here in the near future, and neither my father, mother, aunt, or anyone from my family at all will be here in the near future! So please feel free to do whatever you please!¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡± Amber had no reply to this shameless disy.


    Ruby covered his face with his hand, avoiding looking at the sister who he had just betrayed. ¡°Sayonara, I¡¯m off!¡±


    And he ran away even faster than a rabbit.


    Amber massaged her forehead in agony. Having such a brother really ¡­ Brought! Shame! Upon! The! Family!


    She looked severely at Ian. ¡°You can¡¯t do this.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t have a ce to live at while you refurbish the apartment.¡±


    ¡°I do.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too far!!¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Ian thought for a moment, and then shrugged carelessly. ¡°Then I¡¯ll move in today.¡±


    Amber was so exasperated that she couldn¡¯t help herself from asking, ¡°Aren¡¯t you even going to ask if I¡¯ll agree?¡±


    ¡°Will you?¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    Ian¡¯s voice was cool. ¡°But what can that change?¡± He was getting tired of arguing with Amber over this, even though he was being so shameless with a straight face. ¡°We¡¯ve already gotten in bed together, so stop wasting time! I can either move in today and slowly renovate this ce, or I can slowly renovate this ce before moving in. You choose.¡±


    ¡®¡­ If you¡¯re going to renovate my ce anyways, then what¡¯s the difference?¡¯


    She looked at him speechlessly, and eventually gave up and chose to have him renovate the ce first before moving in. As for where she¡¯d live while her apartment was being renovated ¡­ she¡¯d have to find a ce herself.


    She had to try to dy this for as long as she could. She still wasn¡¯t mentally prepared to move in together so quickly.


    Amber definitely wouldn¡¯t admit that she had given in just because she was scared of his actionsst night!


    When she left, she was forced to tell him her apartment¡¯s passcode, and then to save his fingerprint in the scanning device. However, what Amber didn¡¯t know was that, when Ian came backter, he changed the passcode and removed all other saved fingerprints except for Amber¡¯s.


    So, when Ruby remembered to retrieve his change of clothes from his sister¡¯s ce, he failed to get in. He tried entering the passcode and failed, and then he tried to use his fingerprint. He used all ten fingers, but none of them worked!


    ¡®What was going on? His sister hadn¡¯t moved out, had she!¡¯


    Back then, neither Ruby nor Amber had realized howpletely Mr. Axton had taken over Amber¡¯s ce in the blink of an eye.


    ***


    That day, when Amber wore a scarf to work. Naturally, the head nurse asked her amidst a gaggle of women, ¡°Do you have hickeys again? Tell your man to be more gentle! What¡¯re you going to do when it gets warm and you can¡¯t wear scarves anymore?¡±


    Amber made an o(¡®)o face.


    Her ufortable expression made everyone startughing, and Amber could only put on a serious face in response. ¡°Aren¡¯t you all going to get to work? Are you this free? If you¡¯re this free, then go and check on the patients some more.¡± And then everyone rubbed her face before going back to work.


    Amber ran to the confined wards as if she were escaping from her coworkers. And because she was so used to going to Elly¡¯s ward, she subconsciously headed there.


    Elly was currently drawing. The curtain that was usually closed off had been pulled open today, bathing her in soft rays of sunlight and causing her face to tilt upwards.


    As Amber stood by the door, she started shaking with emotion, and she almost wanted to cry. ¡®How long has Elly hid in the shadows for?¡¯ She didn¡¯t walk in and startle Elly, and instead just stood there and watched her, until Elly turned her head around and smiled at her.


    Elly was almostpletely back to normal now; she woke up in the morning, went to bed at night, ate her meals properly, and smiled at others.


    And now, she was even unafraid to stand in the sun.


    Amber smiled back at her, her expression so warm that it felt like she would treat anything Elly did as normal. Amber walked into the room. ¡°What¡¯re you drawing today?¡±


    The canvas was still nk, and Elly pointed at it as she said, ¡°The sun is the artist today.¡±


    She hadn¡¯t howled in a long while and her throat had noticeably improved. Her voice had also returned to its original sweet tone, which was particrly soft because of her timidness.


    The sunlight danced across the white canvas through the window, leaving spotty and translucent shadows on the page.


    ¡°It does seem like it, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Amber said as she looked at the canvas, ¡°The sun is a very good artist. It can create the form of green mountains and sparkling water, draw out the vibrant redness of peaches, greenness of willows, and all the hues of a maple forest, and disy a thousand worlds, letting people feel the beauty of nature. The sun represents heat, warmth, and even coolness-it alles from the sun.¡±Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    She lowered her head and caressed Elly¡¯s head lightly. ¡°Elly, do you want to go out and look around? To see the wonderful world of the sun?¡±


    Elly shuddered and withdrew into herself, the smile on her face quickly turning into fright.


    Amber didn¡¯t force her. Amber¡¯s decision making process was very patient, and when she saw Elly¡¯s behavior, she quickly consoled her. ¡°It¡¯s alright. When you want to see the outside world, just let me know. I¡¯ll bring you out whenever you¡¯re ready. By the side of the river, there¡¯s a full grove of beautiful trees. In the spring, they¡¯ll all bloom at once. It¡¯s really a pretty sight.¡±


    And then Amber led Elly down another conversation path and apanied her for quite a while before leaving.

 Chapter 190. DR. CAMILLE IN SHOCK

    As Amber was walking back to her office, she ran into her middle school ssmate and his wife. They were back for a checkup.


    Amber never acted too formally with her patients, and she greeted them amiably, poured both of them a ss of water, and then, because they brought their baby with them, even yed with the baby.


    This little baby, swaddled in a bundle of nkets and sleeping with a red face, looked particrly cute.


    Amber filled the time by asking about how hard it was to raise one, how the baby¡¯s health was, how it was sleeping, and so on.


    When they finished talking, she said, ¡°Alright. It seems that your illness has improved a lot already.¡±


    Amber¡¯s ssmate and wife were both slightly taken aback. ¡°Just like that?¡± His wife even cautiously asked, ¡°Is there really nothing else that has to be examined?¡±


    Amber smiled kindly. ¡°What else is there to do? If you¡¯re in the state of mind to ask something like that, then that already shows that you¡¯ve improved a lot sincest time. People don¡¯t have to be worried about always being clear-headed.


    Rather, they should be worried about living in a messy state of mind. And right now, you¡¯re certainly very awake. For example, you didn¡¯t even cry when we talked about how tired you were from raising your child.


    Thus, I feel like you¡¯re already in a much better ce. Postnatal depression originally stems from not being able to adapt to an entirely new set of circumstances after giving birth.


    So, you just have to remember that, whether it¡¯s your first pregnancy or your fourth, we¡¯re all new to this, and since it¡¯s something new, we¡¯ll inevitably make some mistakes and have to correct them as theye.


    But that¡¯s alright, because as we keep moving forward, we¡¯ll learn how to deal with all these problems. As long as we try our best, things will always get better.¡±


    Amber¡¯s voice was warm and gentle as she encouraged the couple, and even as she said these truisms, it didn¡¯t sound long-winded. Both her ssmate and his wife were captivated by her monologue.This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.


    After a while, Amber¡¯s ssmate sighed in admiration. ¡°You¡¯re getting better and better at talking, and your charm has only increased.¡±


    This ssmate of hers hadn¡¯t progressed very far in his studies, and nuanced words like ¡®affinity¡¯ didn¡¯t exist in his vocabry. Instead, he had chosen to use the unusual description of ¡®charming.¡¯


    Amber noticed that his wife¡¯s expression faltered slightly, but Amber could only pretend to not have noticed anything. Instead, she smiled and told the wife, ¡°See, he likes long-winded people. So whenever somethinges up, or whenever you feel tired, wronged, in pain, or exhausted, just tell him. Tell him everything.


    Men rarely pay attention to these things, so don¡¯t expect him to anticipate your needs from just a nce. If you try to do so, you¡¯ll just be stifling yourself, and on the other side, he¡¯ll think that you¡¯re trying to act coy.¡±


    The young wife started chuckling, and Amber¡¯s ssmate was somewhat embarrassed. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t talk about me like that. I¡¯m still a very good, caring, and affectionate man.¡±


    ¡°Yes, keep being a good man, then.¡± Amber said with a smile, ending the day¡¯s consultation.


    Because she had been at the university for the whole day yesterday, there were a lot of tasks on her te today. Thus, Amber was preupied and didn¡¯t have time to think about anything else.


    Only after she got off work, returned home, and saw her empty apartment did she recall that Ian had said that he was going to renovate her apartment.


    But was there a need to be this efficient and thorough? My goodness, all of her furniture had been dismantled and removed, her clothes and shoes were gone, and her apartment was truly devoid of anything besides its four walls.


    At least leave her undergarments. Otherwise, what was she going to change into at night?


    Moving everything away so quickly would leave even Dr. Camille in shock, all right?


    Amber clutched at her forehead, staring at her deste and empty apartment for quite a while in disbelief before finally calling Ian. ¡°Where are my clothes?¡±


    ¡°At my ce.¡±


    She tried to stay patient. ¡°If they¡¯re all gone, then what am I supposed to change into at night?¡±


    Ian seemed very surprised. ¡°Don¡¯t you know where I live?¡±


    Amber was speechless. ¡°¡­.¡±


    Trying tomunicate with someone who didn¡¯t understand her was too difficult, and she was honestly quite exasperated that she had fallen for such a self-centered man.


    She could onlyfort herself with the same words that she had used to tofort someone else earlier ¡®It¡¯s all right. Men are just like that sometimes, and Ian is a man amongst men. So, hoping that he would be considerate or give advance notice was just a delusion!¡¯


    After sheforted herself, she left to find a ce to stay for the night. Silvia and Trysta¡¯s ces were too far away to even be considered, but Susan¡¯s might not be a bad choice.


    Susan lived very close to the hospital, but in the opposite direction of Amber¡¯s apartment, she lived in the north, and Susan in the south.


    Susan had just gotten off work when she received her call. After she picked up and heard Amber¡¯s plight, she immediately said, ¡°Then, let mee fetch you.¡±


    ¡®See, women were so thoughtful and considerate.¡¯


    ***


    When Amber climbed into Susan¡¯s car, she immediately leaned back against her seat and exhaustedly said, ¡°I think that I should find a wife rather than a husband to marry.¡±


    Susan threw an unopened cup of yogurt at her. ¡°What kind of craziness are you spouting now?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not crazy, just casually grumbling.¡±


    Susan smiled. ¡°Did your rich boyfriend do something to annoy you again?¡±


    Amber couldn¡¯t help herself from frantically unloading all of herints. ¡°Seriously, he said that he was going to move in, and he just expected me to amodate him like that. And to top it off, he even insulted my interior decor!


    Alright, it¡¯s fine if he wants to renovate it-he¡¯s rich enough to not care about eighty or a hundred thousand dor. Fine! But was there really a need to say that he was going to do it in the morning and then take everything from my apartment out before night time? All without telling me anything? Is this really okay? Is it?!¡±


    Susan wasughing uncontrobly at this point. She had never seen Amber angry before, and herining made Susan feel like she was about to go crazy fromughter. She even had to park by the side of the road as she clutched at her stomach and guffawed.


    Amber was gloomy. ¡°Is it that funny?¡± She looked outside, bit down on her yogurt¡¯s straw, and reminded Susan, ¡°We can¡¯t stop here.¡±


    Susan was shedding tears fromughing too hard, and as she wiped them away, she said, ¡°Then stop teasing me.¡±


    Even Susan had rendered Amber speechless tonight. ¡°¡­.¡±

 Chapter 191. SUPER THIN, SUPER COMFORTABLE AND SAFE

    Amber looked at Susan usingly. ¡°Dr. Susan, I¡¯m really trying to talk to you seriously. I¡¯ve suddenly fallen from being a nice little member of the bourgeoisie to a homeless person. I don¡¯t have clothes to change into, a ce to stay, or anything to eat or wear. Can you pity me a little?¡±


    Susan patted herfortingly. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll give you some things to eat, a ce to stay, and even someone to sleep with. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t let you wander the cold world alone.¡±


    But after she said this, she started uncontroblyughing again. ¡°But even if he didn¡¯t notify you beforehand, then did he not at least prepare a ce for you to stay?¡±


    Amber didn¡¯t want to talk anymore. Susan nced at her as she asked, ¡°So he did prepare one, huh? You don¡¯t want to stay there?¡± She stretched out her hand and tugged at Amber¡¯s scarf.


    Amber resisted warily. ¡°Keep your eyes on the road!¡±


    Susan was driving attentively, and clicked her tongue several times in response. ¡°Isn¡¯t it nice to be young, to mess around like this?¡±


    Amber looked at her exasperatedly. ¡°You¡¯re young too.¡±


    Susan shook her head, looked at the rearview mirror, and focused on backing the car up. ¡°As you said, why should I find a man to marry? At this age, with my money, a car, a house, and kids, there¡¯s no reason for me to find a man who will only make me feel ufortable.¡±


    After she said this, Amber stopped trying to persuade her. Everyone had their own way of living, and as long as it was healthy, there was no need for her to force Susan into something she didn¡¯t want.


    And so, the topic was dropped just like that.


    Amber was too tired from work and didn¡¯t want to make dinner, whereas Susan never cooked. So, the two of them ate out. Halfway into dinner, Ian called her. ¡°You¡¯re noting?¡±


    Amber very much wanted to y ignorant. ¡°Go where?¡±


    Her apartment waspletely empty right now! But since she was spending his money for the renovation, she couldn¡¯t look a gift horse in the mouth. ¡°I¡¯m staying with a colleague.¡±


    Ian was flustered. ¡®Damn, I miscalcted!¡¯


    Now, all he could do was start whipping thesh and hurry the renovation process up. There wasn¡¯t any need to change out the foundations; all he needed to do was order new furniture, buy a new sofa, and other simr surface adjustments. Everything proceeded very quickly, and the renovation was finished in half a month.


    When Ian¡¯s grandparents found that he was helping Amber renovate her apartment, they became particrly happy, and the two of them even personally went to his office to instruct him. ¡°When you renovate the ce, remember to have any formaldehyde scrubbed away. Your skin¡¯s very sensitive, so you want to make sure that the ce is spotless when you move in.¡±


    This point was fair, and Ian noted it down.


    And then Ian¡¯s grandmother said, ¡°You need to marry her quickly, or else the wedding ceremony will be annoying to manage once she¡¯s pregnant.¡±


    Mr. Axton was shocked. He was just thinking about getting Amber in bed, and hadn¡¯t thought about babies at all!


    Yes, this was also a fair point. He didn¡¯t want a baby, so he had to use contraception!


    ***


    The move-in day was scheduled rtively soon. The weather was returning to a nice temperate band again. Conveniently, the move-in day was on the weekend, so Amber would have time to clean up after moving back.


    Amber¡¯s first look at the new ce was when she moved back in. She was normally very busy, and couldn¡¯t be bothered to visit while it was being renovated. Since her suggestions wouldn¡¯t be taken into consideration anyways, she might as well leave it be.


    She had expected that, like Ian¡¯s personality, the apartment would be cold, ascetic, and perfectly symmetrical. However, in reality, her new apartment was bright and sunny. The blues and whites on the wall paired well together, and the overall atmosphere was very tasteful and stylish.


    Amber made a few turns once inside. The master bedroom hadn¡¯t changed much, but what shocked her most was the guest room, which had be a study.


    The original wardrobe had been removed, and the neighboring wall was reced by a full row of bookshelves. The tatami mat by the window had also been removed, reced by a big study desk, and there wasn¡¯t a bed or wardrobe anywhere in sight.


    Mr. Axton¡¯s n had thuse to light-he didn¡¯t want anyone staying over with them at all, and neither did he want any interruptions.


    After seeing thispletely different room, Amber didn¡¯t know what to say. All she could do was massage her forehead and console herself that it was fine. If she didn¡¯t have a bed, she could just buy another againter. o()o


    Even with regards to moving, Ian¡¯s personal style shone through. A fewrge trucks came to move all of his things up the building and into the apartment, and then all the workers left. Then, he rolled up his sleeves and started to unpack everything.


    Well organized boxes filled the entire living room, and Amber wryly asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t we going to find people to help unpack?¡±This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Ian nced at her. ¡°It¡¯s our home. Why do we need others¡¯ help?¡±


    Amber fell silent, before finally nodding. ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± And then she also rolled up her sleeves and started unpacking and putting things in their proper ces.


    Actually, although there were many boxes, most of them were filled with books. Since they now had manyrge bookshelves, they had to fill them all. While unpacking, Amber realized the benefits of having a partner with OCD, as everything was packed nicely into the boxes.


    He had packed all of Amber¡¯s things meticulously, her clothes, her pants, her shoes, her underwear (-_-||), and even her books were all organized neatly. Amber¡¯s books were organized by subject, and each had a note on it, detailing where it had originallye from.


    As a result, although they had plenty of things, once it was all unboxed, they were ced rapidly. It moved along without a hitch, until Amber reached an unmarked and ubeled box.


    She was somewhat curious, and as she prepared to open the box, she asked Ian, ¡°What¡¯s inside this box?¡±


    Ian turned around and nced at the box before coolly saying, ¡°A gift from Billy.¡±


    ¡®Huh? Billy was the type to give gifts?¡¯ Curiously, Amber cut open the wrapping tape with a pair of scissors and removed the tape, only to see a whole box of condoms!


    The condoms¡¯ packaging were particrly striking, all packed neatly,belled with descriptions like ¡°original,¡± ¡°super thin,¡± ¡°superfortable,¡± ¡°super safe,¡± and a variety of other simr words.


    Amber didn¡¯t know what to say. ¡°¡­.¡±

 Chapter 192. MR. AXTON’S EFFORTS

    Who would send something like that as a gift to celebrate a new home? Whoever does so,e over! Dr. Camille wants to discuss your dreams and aspirations with you.


    When Ian saw Amber¡¯s sour face, he walked over and asked, ¡°Is this bad?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good!¡± Amber said, her teeth aching as she did so. ¡°But buying so many ¡­.¡±


    ¡®How often are you nning to use these? Did you know that condoms have an expiration date?¡¯


    Ian took one out of the box and looked at it. ¡°Are there that many?¡± He opened it and counted the smaller packets within. ¡°24 boxes with 12 small boxes in each one,¡± His calction skills weren¡¯t bad. ¡°288 small boxes. They won¡¯tst for even a year.¡±


    ¡°¡­. You¡¯re nning on using one small box a day??¡±


    ¡°There are three condoms in each box. Is that too little?¡±


    ¡®Mom, mom, can I move back home now? Department head, I¡¯m regretting my earlier decision. Can I send this guy to jail?¡¯ Amber Crying in her heart.


    When she saw Ian¡¯s justified expression, Amber actually thought back to when she was still in school. Her roommates had once tried to prove that it was reasonable for men to have sex three times a night based on psychology and physiology. What had been their conclusion then?


    She turned frantic. ¡°Why did you let him buy all these?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re cheap.¡±


    ¡®Aren¡¯t you rich? Did you have to save and skimp on this, of all things?¡¯Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Amber¡¯s face turned a deep red again. When she thought of Billy¡¯s mocking face, she decided in her heart that she didn¡¯t want to see him for the next year!


    Ian watched Amber grow enraged, and reluctantly tried to pacify her. ¡°Alright, I admit my real reason isn¡¯t this. I¡¯m notcking money.¡±


    Amber, in her heart, thought, ¡®That¡¯s not what I¡¯m concerned about!!¡¯


    Then, Ian continued to say, ¡°It¡¯s just that I don¡¯t want him to disrupt us. So, when he said that he wanted toe over, I told him that there were two conditions.¡± As if he felt that the trauma that Amber had just suffered wasn¡¯t enough, Mr. Axton clearly exined, ¡°First, we are going to do it, so third wheels aren¡¯t wee. Second, if he wanted to give any sort of gifts, then he could just send me condoms.¡±


    Amber ¡­ spat out a glob blood.


    She clutched her chest and despairingly moaned. ¡°Mr. Axton, just how thick is your skin?¡±


    Ian coolly replied, ¡°Quite thick, thank you.¡±


    He had taken over her apartment, but this wasn¡¯t enough for him, because he went on to say, ¡°I don¡¯t like outsiders at my ce, so don¡¯t call people over in the future. As for your parents, I¡¯ve already bought the neighboring apartment, so when the renovation for that one is finished, they can move in at any time.¡±


    Amber beat her chest forcefully,pletely giving up onmunicating with him.


    Since the boxes were very well organized, it didn¡¯t take long to unpack everything and put them in their proper ces. After just half the day had passed, everything was already done.


    More specifically, they officially finished moving in at 3:30 PM. Amber had always felt that she was pretty decent at packing and unpacking, butpared to Ian, she suddenly felt like she had been living a rough, uncultured life.


    Ian often made her feel like this. For example, although she liked flowers, she didn¡¯t know how to arrange them artistically. Thus, she usually bought just one or two of them and arranged them in a basic small long-necked vase, considering that sufficient.


    Ian, byparison, actually did know flower arrangement, and after they tidied everything up, he ordered arge bouquet of flowers. When they arrived, he brought them over to the balcony, where he sat, basking in the setting sun as he slowly and meticulously arranged the flowers. Gradually, a beautiful vase took form!


    And what¡¯s more, Ian also knew how to cook, and it wasn¡¯t anything like Amber¡¯s instant noodles with egg kind of cooking. Rather, he made a proper Western meal: a sauteed steak, pizza, salmon, lobster, and even a mouth-watering chocte cake from scratch!


    Of course, it did take a lot of time at any rate, when Amber saw him dressed in an apron and preparing food in the kitchen, her initialments were, ¡°Wow, you can even make food! Your movements seem both handsome and practised,¡± but they quickly became, ¡°Is it ready? I¡¯m about to starve! Just make something. I really don¡¯t care anymore.¡± Even when Amber offered to help, he disdainfully told her that she was in the way and chased her out.


    Finally, when it was almost eight o¡¯clock, Ian told Amber, who was so ravenous that she was sitting on the sofa and reading a book upside down, ¡°We can start eating now.¡±


    Amber expectantly went over and saw a luxuriant and exquisite dinnerid out in front of her.


    The decadent food, bottle of red wine, fresh flowers, and even candles all contributed to the extravagant atmosphere. However, the most striking part of the picture was obviously the handsome man standing by the side of the table, who was dressed in a simple outfit of a white shirt and ck pants, with a clear and picturesque look in his eyes.


    But Amber was instead thinking, ¡®Goodness, am I a fake person?¡¯


    Despite how romantic the dinner in front of her was, she nheless felt somewhat regretful, because she actually preferred Chinese style cuisine ¡­.


    But she still had to thank him, of course. ¡°Thank you for your hard work.¡±


    While Ian opened the bottle of wine, he murmured, ¡°It wasn¡¯t hard. Before I eat you, I have to let you at least eat something good.¡±


    Amber, dumbfounded, thought to herself, ¡®Can I not eat this meal?!¡¯


    Even as her face remained serious. ¡°Are you joking?¡±

 Chapter 193. A LITTLE ITCHY

    Ian thought for a moment and then rephrased his words. ¡°ording to what I¡¯ve read, if a male establishes a romantic atmosphere before getting into bed with a female, it will allow the female to climax more easily.¡±


    Amber couldn¡¯t even think of a retort. ¡°¡­.¡± She massaged her forehead to ease the oing headache as she asked, ¡°Mr. Axton, when you have these underlying intentions, can we still even have a proper meal?¡±


    Ian was a little perturbed by her stance. ¡°Do all doctors avoid talking about sex?¡±


    Amber very much wanted to shoot him a supercilious re. ¡°I¡¯m also a woman, thank you very much.¡±


    Ian fell deep into thought, and then stopped talking about the subject, instead pouring her a ss of wine before obediently starting to eat.


    As they said, if you encountered someone who didn¡¯t understand romance at all, then even something like a candlelight dinner was pointless. If you encountered someone who was so hungry that they didn¡¯t care about what they were eating, it would be a waste of effort and resources; if you encountered a schemer, it would be the setting for a tragedy! And unfortunately, the two of them satisfied all three of these conditions, so this extravagant and romantic meal ended very quickly.


    Once Amber finished her meal, she leaned back, drained her remaining red wine in one go, and yup, she was done.


    Because she had drank too quickly, Amber¡¯s face quickly turned red from the alcohol. She supported her face with both hands, and then looked at Ian.


    Like a good househusband, when the meal was over, Ian immediately started clearing the table, washing the tes, and mopping the kitchen. Amber watched him meticulouslyplete all this busywork as she thought to herself, A boyfriend like this isn¡¯t bad. He¡¯s able to make food, do chores, clean the ce, and even rejuvenate the eyes. How good was that?


    And then, just when she was starting to rx, he took off his apron, hung it up, and walked in front of her before saying, ¡°Let¡¯s take a bath and then go to sleep.¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    She looked at the time; it was only 8:30 PM!


    With a slight tinge of disbelief, Amber asked him, ¡°It¡¯s too early, isn¡¯t it? Why don¡¯t we eat some fruit and chat awhile?¡±


    Ian lowered his head and sniffed her body judgmentally. ¡°You smell dirty.¡±


    And then he pushed Amber into the bathroom. The reason why she was so obedient was that, in her mind, she thought, ¡®Alright. Given how stubborn he is, then he can do whatever he wants. It¡¯s only a matter of time anyway.¡¯ After many days of careful consideration, she had thought everything through.


    After the two of them took a bath and Amber blew her hair dry, they got into bed. It felt formal, and even though Amber had mentally prepared herself, she still felt a bit shy.


    Ian was actually quite nervous as well; when he took out a condom, he even naively asked, ¡°Do I wear this beforehand or afterwards?¡±


    Amber almost sprayed spit at him. ¡°Do you think that it¡¯d even be useful if you wore it after you¡¯re done?¡±


    Only then did Ian realize that he had asked a stupid question, and he became somewhat embarrassed. But since his face was normally cold and unmoving, his embarrassment wasn¡¯t very obvious. After a quick nce at Amber to verify that she hadn¡¯t noticed, he took off his pants.This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    Amber twisted her head away, not knowing what to say anymore. But even if she didn¡¯t see it, she could feel him put on the condom and then lean over to hug her.


    She was currently wearing a white cotton sleeping gown, and her ck hair was draped over her shoulders, giving her a soft and tender look.


    Although the start was awkward, both of them were young and vigorous, and the atmosphere slowly loosened up. Ian really hadn¡¯t skimped on his reading about sex, and when they actually started doing it, he was particrly gentle and patient, sparing no effort to make it easier for her.


    The conditions were right, and sess naturally followed.


    They gradually reached the most enjoyable stage.


    But then, Ian suddenly stopped. Amber opened her eyes. Right now, her face was flushed red, her eyes lustrous with desire, and her half-clothed body particrly enchanting.


    But Ian couldn¡¯t not stop.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± she asked, somewhat lost in thought.


    Ian didn¡¯t say anything, just looking at her with an ugly expression. Then, he suddenly sat back and tore off the ¡°raincoat¡± on his little Ian. ¡°It¡¯s a bit itchy,¡± he said in annoyance as he lightly scratched its tip.


    ¡°An all ¡­ allergic reaction.¡± Amber said, half in disbelief.


    Ian: o()o


    ***


    Ian little buddy had at first been pinkish, not ugly at all, and even quite imposing. But right now, Amber felt that it looked quite pitiful, because after his big buddy scratched him, two little red lumps had appeared near its tip.


    Amber had concluded that this was just an allergic reaction through a very simple chain of deduction. Between this being a newly renovated apartment, the condom material, and Ian¡¯s abnormal body ¡­ it seemed almost inevitable for little buddy to not develop an allergic reaction to something.


    Amber tried her hardest to stifle herughter, to the point where she started tearing up and was unable to look at him. However, when she saw that he was about to scratch himself again, she quickly stopped him and said, ¡°Stop scratching yourself and go wash it off.¡±


    Ian obediently went to the washroom, albeit with a dark expression on his face. Once Amber was sure that he was out of earshot, then she turned around, bit down on her fist, and started guffawing so hard she fell off of the bed.


    But while she was lost in her delirium, she felt someone grab her shoulder and drag her upright. Ian looked at her dimly. ¡°You seem very happy?¡±

 Chapter 194. DEFEATED BY A MERE CONDOM

    ¡°N-No ¡­.¡±


    With such an obvious smirk on her face and lips curled up so high that she couldn¡¯t even force them down, she wasn¡¯t convincing at all. Who¡¯d believe that she wasn¡¯tughing?


    Ian pushed her down.


    Amber hadn¡¯t found a chance to catch her breath, since she hadughed so hard all her muscles had rxed. She breathlessly asked, ¡°What¡¯re you going to do to me?¡±


    Ian stuffed another condom into her hand, and fearlessly said, ¡°I feel like we should try again. Put it on for me!¡±


    He was so confident that Amber felt like she had to give him the proper respect. However, she also felt ethically obligated to remind him, ¡°That ¡­ Ahem, I don¡¯t really mind trying again, but are you sure you want to do so? Your allergic reaction may very well worsen, causing swelling, festering ¡­ and you might even be impotent for a long period of time.¡±


    Ian felt unbearably stymied. ¡°Damn!¡±


    He flipped them around, moved his face to her shoulder, opened his mouth, and fiercely ground his teeth against her white and tender shoulder. He continued until Amber was so itchy that she broke intoughter and fell into hisp.


    Ian looked at her, curled up like a tiny prawn fromughing, and felt speechless. He had started biting her to vent his frustration, but the more he bit, the hotter his anger was stoked. His heart had an unbearable itch, as if it had been scratched by a cat.


    He finally stopped biting her. Then, he climbed up the bed, kissed her lips and tongue passionately, hugged her hard, and finally grumbled incoherently, ¡°¡­ It feels bad!¡±


    Amber patted him on the back insincerely. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. Just don¡¯t agitate it any further.¡±


    Ian bit her lips frustratedly again, picked up her hand, and guided it towards hisher regions. He wanted to physically show her how badly he was feeling.


    Amber patiently asked, ¡°Do you want to take a cold bath? Or maybe rub some balm on it ¡­ Aah!¡±


    He had forced her legs open and then suddenly slid his fingers inside her. Amber didn¡¯t expert such an abrupt move, and she groaned in displeasure.


    ¡°I-Ian ¡­ akh-¡±


    However, the roughness also stimted her on some level, so when his fingers moved around, she felt ¡­ quite pleasurable.


    Ian raised his upper body slightly, and when he saw that she hadpletely sumbed to his dextrous hand strokes, and was almost about to explode, he mercilessly pulled his fingers out and slowly dered, ¡°Think of a solution for me.¡±


    He had stopped so abruptly that Amber was caught off guard.


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    Honestly, when he teased her like that, she really wanted to smack him in the face! She covered her blushing face with her hand, tried to to calm her urges, and softly replied, ¡°Alright ¡­ Go wash up first. I¡¯ll help you think of a solution.¡±


    And only then did Ian finally let go of her and go into the washroom.


    But what else could Amber have said? As a doctor, if he had a cold or fever or something like that, then she could give him a prescription. But something like a penile infection ¡­.


    Helpless, she could only call Susan, and in the most serious tone she could muster, ask, ¡°What¡¯s the best solution for a male experiencing an allergic reaction to a condom?¡±


    Susan immediately guessed at what was going on. ¡°Your rich boyfriend? He¡¯s allergic to condoms?¡±


    Amber coughed awkwardly.


    Susan startedughing crazily. ¡°Hahaha, really?! You just moved back today, and you even told me that I didn¡¯t need toe over for a housewarming party. I even thought that you two were going to ¡­ Anyways, what¡¯s up with this allergic reaction?¡±


    Amber pleaded, ¡°Hey, hey, Dr. Susan. Please keep your professional ethics in mind.¡±


    Susan startedughing even more uproariously. ¡°Dear, you¡¯re a really amusing person.¡±


    Amber o()o


    Amber felt very exasperated, but also that this situation was actually very funny. Mr. Axton had prepared so diligently for tonight, and even made Billy send him so many condoms. But in the end ¡­ He was defeated by a mere condom.


    Amber also startedughing along with Susan.


    When they were done, Amber patted her face to sober up a bit. ¡°Alright, please help me think of a solution.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m also not quite sure what the best course of action is. After all, I work with women.¡±


    ¡°Dr. Susan, do you believe that I¡¯ll beat you up?¡±


    Susan startedughing again. ¡°Come and beat me! It¡¯s not like you¡¯re going to do anything with your rich boyfriend tonight anyways.¡±


    Amber nced guiltily at the door. ¡®If Ian heard Susan say that, he¡¯d probably grind her to death, wouldn¡¯t he?¡¯


    Without any other options, Amber could only say, ¡°Alright, stop talking trash.¡±


    Only when Susan stoppedughing did she agree. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll help you find an expert, and I can ask him about how to best resolve the condition.¡±


    ¡°Okay, but make sure to tell him that the patient¡¯s skin is very sensitive, and he even had septicemia not too long ago.¡±


    After Amber finished describing Ian¡¯s medical history, she was afraid of Susan saying something degrading next time they met.


    She knew that she¡¯d suffer the consequences if Ian overheard suchments, so she made sure to add, ¡°When you¡¯re done asking, please send me the prescription via text and not voice. Thank you.¡±


    Even after Amber disconnected the call, she felt like she could still hear phantoms of Susan¡¯sughter.


    But even though Susan hadughed at the situation, she was a very reliable person.


    By the time Ian finished his bath, Amber had already received the prescription. There was both medication to be ingested and a paste to be externally applied, but the most important thing was the following directions: Scratching and washing it with hot water were prohibited, and he had to abstain from sexual activity for the next two weeks during the treatment and recovery periods.Original content from N?velDrama.Org.


    When Amber finished reading the instructions out loud, she blinked, and then obediently handed her phone over to Ian.


    Ian ¡­. had an interesting expression on his face.


    Amber had originally calmed down, but when she saw his expression, she couldn¡¯t stop herself from bursting out intoughter again.


    She lowered her head and tried to stop herself, but Ian lifted her jaw. She bit down on her fingers, her almond eyes tearing up as she looked at him.


    ¡°That funny, huh?¡±


    His tone had a dangerous edge to it, and Amber hugged his waist in forgiveness as she buried her head in his embrace,ughed, and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t say that it was funny ¡­.¡±


    Ian couldn¡¯t help but start smiling at the ridiculous situation as well.

 Chapter 195. LEARNING TO LOVE YOU

    The medicine that Susan had prescribed was standard medication for an allergic reaction, which Amber had at home. After applying it, he couldn¡¯t do anything of that kind anymore, so Ian justy in bed like a zombie with Amber by his side, her fingers lightly caressing his face.


    Ian tilted his head and looked at her. ¡°You want it?¡± He turned his body.


    Amber grabbed his hand lightly. ¡°Don¡¯t mess around.¡±


    She moved his hand to the side of her face and looked at him as she rested her head on the pillow. Because he¡¯d just applied the medicine, his lower body was still naked, only covered by a nket.


    The exposed skin revealed slender and straight muscles. His body seemed especially lithe and sleek, coursing with power.


    The muscle that he¡¯d lost from his earlier illness had regrown quite well, it seemed. Amber admired his body for a little, but didn¡¯t have the guts to reach out and start groping him.


    Noting the small amount of disappointment still on his face, she said, ¡°Ian, I¡¯m notughing at you. I¡¯m just ¡­ somewhat happy.¡±


    Amidst his bright, clear gaze, she gently touched the back of his hand. ¡°I¡¯m really very happy, because I can feel how much effort you put into tonight. In this day and age, intentions might not be worth very much, but diligent attention is a rare thing indeed.¡± And this was especially so for someone like Ian. The fact that he had put this much thought and effort into this for her made her feel very surprised and moved.


    She then coyly said, ¡°Ian, I¡¯m really starting to like you.¡± She paused, before reaffirming her feelings. ¡°Very much.¡±


    Ian gazed back at her. She was lying softly by his side, her cherry red lips glistening with moisture, her eyes as clear as water, and the dimple by her cheek as if filled with a drunkenughter.


    He couldn¡¯t help himself from caressing her face, gingerly rubbing the tender skin underneath his hands.


    It was the first time he had ever confronted his own mental issue, the first time he had ever worked up the courage to tell her, ¡°I¡¯ve never loved anyone. But Amber, even if I never love anyone in my lifetime, I will learn to love you. I will be unwavering in my attention towards you, just as if we were star-crossed lovers in some book.¡±


    As he said this, his expression wasn¡¯t particrly serious, and he didn¡¯t disy any particr signs of care either. His face remained as calm and impassive as ever, but Amber couldn¡¯t help from letting out onest burst ofughter.


    ¡°Alright,¡± she agreed lightly.


    If someone had told Amber half a year ago that she¡¯d fall in love with one of her patients who was suffering from emotional detachment, she probably would have thought that the other party was telling an unfunny joke.


    But now, she knew that this joke was real, because the feelings in her chest were more than just a casual liking, deeper than liking.


    Ian¡¯s dazed and silly expression, his stupid liking, his stiff textbook-like manner of wooing her, and his serious expression when looking for love-all of this made her inexorably fall for him a little bit more.


    Amber hugged the hand by her face tightly, lifted her head, and kissed it lightly as she said, ¡°Ian, it¡¯s fine even if you can¡¯t love me, because I¡¯ll love you in your stead. This will be our house, and over here, you can do whatever you want. You canugh when you¡¯re happy, cry when you¡¯re sad, and when you¡¯re tired, my shoulder will always be here for you. I¡¯ve never been anyone else¡¯s other half, but I¡¯ll do my best to love you and apany you.¡±


    After listening to Amber¡¯s words, Ian quieted down.


    Then, after a while, he hoarsely said, ¡°I want to have sex with you, but I can¡¯t.¡±


    Amber almost choked on her own saliva, feeling like someone had just spat into her mouth after she passionately confessed to him.


    She pped him in the face as she angrily said, ¡°At this time, we should be talking about love and feelings. Stop thinking about other things!¡±


    Ian caught her hand and lifted the nkets. ¡°Take a look.¡±


    Amber reluctantly nced down, only to see little Ian slowly lift up, dazedly nodding at her with two small red bumps on its head.


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    Unable to hold herself back anymore, she leapt onto his body, ¡°Alright, neither of us are going to sleep tonight!¡±


    He hugged her back, letting her roll around on his body, his heart feeling fuller than ever before.


    ¡°Ouch, don¡¯t bite my neck again!¡±


    ¡°Ugh, I surrender.¡±


    It was already toote to surrender, and he pressed Amber down and ravaged her once more, until Amber was both riled up and wholly unsatisfied; her heart felt like it had reached maximum stuffiness.


    Mr. Axton sagaciously said, ¡°This is called sharing life¡¯s joys and sorrows.¡±


    If this was going to happen for the next three more weeks, Amber was tempted to immediately move out ande back three weekster!


    And after messing around for the entire night, Amber was woken up by a phone ringing the next day, Ian¡¯s phone.


    She handed him his phone and went back to sleep, but Ian turned on the speakerphone, and a weaselly voice snaked into her ear; it was Ian¡¯s shrill and high decibel voice. ¡°Hey, hey, did you have a good timest night? Were my condoms useful, my friend?¡±


    Ian didn¡¯t even open his eyes, and just hung up without saying a word. And after that, he even turned off his phone, hugged Amber from behind, buried his face into her shoulder, and continued to sleep.


    Yup, he was feeling upset.This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.


    No matter who it was, if someone was restricted from doing something, if they were stimted for an entire night while being unable to seek release, and then congratted for that, then no one could stay happy, could they?


    Amber wanted tough, but she managed to stop herself this time. After this, she was clear-headed again. She usually didn¡¯t sleep in as she didn¡¯t want tocently develop too many bad habits. But today, shey in bedzily, not wanting to get up.


    The person at her back was cuddling her snugly, but she didn¡¯t feel too hot at all, just slightly warm. In the brisk April morning air, she feltfortable and just right.


    Perhaps Ian couldn¡¯t go back to sleep either, because as he ¡°slept,¡± his hand wandered into her clothes where his fingers slowly started rubbing against her skin. ¡°I¡¯m itchy!¡±


    Amber smiled and tightly pressed his hands together before turning around and facing him. ¡°What do you want to eat for breakfast?¡±


    ¡°You.¡±


    Amber smiled, offered her hand up to his mouth, and graciously said, ¡°Then, have at it.¡±


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