I bought a queen-sized bed online but forgot to select the "assembly included" option. By mistake, I sent a message asking for help to my ex-boyfriend. He showed up without saying a word. After he finished putting it together, he told me to test it out to see if it was sturdy. "How am I supposed to test it?" He pulled me onto his lap: "You called me over. Didn't you want to test it out with me?" This was incredibly awkward. I blushed and said, "You misunderstood. I broke this bed last night too." 01 My bed collapsed in the middle of the night. I had picked out a queen-sized bed online. It was delivered the very next day. The massive boxes took up half my bedroom. I stared at my phone screen, speechless. [Dear customer, you didn't select the "assembly included" service.] I had been in too much of a rush when I bought it. It was almost dark now, and there was no way I could book a handyman. I took a screenshot of the chat with customer service and forwarded it to the culprit from last night. "Can you come over and assemble the bed?" I also sent a picture of the bedroom. The other person typed for a long time before replying with seven words: "You're asking me for this kind of thing?" Why shouldn't I ask him? He was the one who broke it yesterday. "The sooner it's put together, the sooner you can come sleep on it." Two minutes later, the reply came. "Be there in fifteen." Time flew by. The doorbell rang three times. I was wearing a lace nightgown, not even wearing slippers, when I went to open the door. Ethan appeared in the doorway, his gaze scrutinizing me. "You're dressed like this to welcome your ex-boyfriend?" I stared at him in shock. Why was my ex-boyfriend here? 02 Ethan and I broke up about a year ago, right? I had sent the text to him by mistake. I blame these two men; they both use solid black profile pictures. "How much stuff did you put on this bed? It completely caved in." Ethan was unboxing the delivery, chatting casually. "Just a lot of clothes, I guess." I decided not to tell Ethan the real reason. Explaining a broken bed to an ex-boyfriend is just too weird. The AC was blasting, but assembling a queen-sized bed was seriously hard work. Ethan was sweating profusely. I accidentally caught a glimpse of his back. Under his soaked dress shirt, the lines of his physique were fully visible. Broad shoulders, lean waist. I took a sip of water and looked away. My ex was undeniably hot. But I broke up with him because he was just too boring. He was always busy with work, and he had zero imagination in bed. The same rigid missionary position, year after year. Lights out, not a single word spoken. He wouldn't even let me call him "Dr. Hayes." It was just too stifling. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. I brought up breaking up right after we finished. Ethan sat on the edge of the bed, buttoning his shirt, silent for a moment. He didn't even turn to look at me. "Are you serious?" "I'm serious." Four words. And that was it. We were done. He was a man who was even boring when getting dumped. "All done." My thoughts were pulled back to the present. He was surprisingly domesticated; he even made the bed. Ethan sat on the bed, hands resting on the edge, bouncing up and down slightly. The new bed creaked slightly with a somewhat suggestive sound. He tilted his head slightly, the corners of his lips curving up, and patted the spot next to him. "Try it out. Is it sturdy?" Is there something wrong with this guy? 03 I hesitantly sat down next to Ethan. Mimicking his bouncing, I forced myself to try it three or four times. Ethan seemed to be staring at me. I was so embarrassed I couldn't lift my head. Was I crazy? Testing out a bed with my ex-boyfriend? "How am I supposed to test it?" I was about to get up and ask him to leave. But an arm wrapped tightly around my waist, pulling me backward until I fell squarely onto someone's slightly parted thighs. Warm breath drifted into my ear, tickling it faintly. "You called me over. Didn't you want to test it out with me?" I hadn't misunderstood his intentions. Ethan really had changed. He had learned how to seduce people. Even right now, beneath me, he had a very obvious reaction. My face was burning red. "You've misunderstood. I broke this bed last night too." I just sent the message to the wrong person. Ethan didn't seem to be listening to me. He just lightly rubbed the tip of his nose against the crook of my neck. "You said the sooner it's put together, the sooner I can come sleep on it... Do you want to get back together?" I froze. Get back together with him? If he hadn't suddenly shown up, I truly hadn't considered it. But if I had to say I wanted to, it was only a thought I just had. Ethan grabbed both my legs and shifted me so I was straddling his lap sideways. He lowered his head slightly, his cool lips pressing against my forehead, moving to my cheek, my chin, my neck. I was kissed into a daze, my fingertips gripping his shirt sleeves tightly. I have to admit, Ethan's kissing skills had improved dramatically. My phone, resting nearby, rang at the worst possible moment. A message popped up on the screen. "Hey, is the new bed set up? I'll come check it out." "I promise I won't be so rough tonight." I had one arm around Ethan and used the other hand to reply directly. "Not done yet. Don't come." Don't come and ruin my good time. I turned off my phone, only to realize the man holding me had stopped moving. Ethan's brow was deeply furrowed, and his hands had loosened their grip slightly. I was just about to lean in and kiss him. "Who is he?" He pressed two fingers against my forehead to hold me back. "How did your bed break?" I spread my hands and told the truth. "Just a younger guy. He was a bit too wild in bed, and this happened." 04 The water in the bathroom was running loudly. Ethan had pushed me away earlier and went to take a shower. It took him a long time to come out. He stood by the floor-to-ceiling window on the balcony, wearing only a white towel around his waist, waiting for his clothes in the dryer. "Are you planning to leave?" I couldn't understand him again. Wasn't he just about to do that with me? Ethan looked up coldly: "What do you think?" He seemed to be angry. But who offended him? I hesitated for a long time, then looked down at my phone. "Then I'll transfer you some money. Thanks for your hard work today." A voice call from Carter came through. I answered it casually: "Yeah, fine, you can come over tonight. Right, it's all set." I hung up. I don't know when, but Ethan was suddenly standing right in front of me, staring at me bizarrely. "How did you become this kind of person?" "What kind of person am I?" "I just finished setting up the bed, I don't even have my clothes back on, and you're already telling someone else to come over?" I glanced at the timer on the dryer. "It'll take him half an hour to get here. You'll be gone in fifteen minutes tops. You won't even cross paths." Ethan stared fixedly at me, his lips pressed into a tight line, and let out a cold scoff. I understood now— Did he want to do something with me, but felt it was being interrupted by an outsider? Or did he feel I wasn't taking the initiative enough, ruining his mood? After all, Ethan was very conservative about that kind of thing. I cleared my throat: "Then I'll make up an excuse and tell him not to come back tonight. What do you think?" That was giving him plenty of respect. The dryer chimed. Ethan's expression stiffened. He hurriedly put on his shirt and looked down to pull on his pants. "Let me tell you, Chloe. You've got the wrong guy." This was ridiculous. My pride couldn't take it either. "I don't know where you're getting this virgin-martyr act from." Ethan choked on his words. His face was dark as he opened the door to leave, but he stopped dead in his tracks. Carter, who was just about to knock, was clearly stunned. "Dr. Hayes? What are you doing here?" "Carter?" Ethan frowned. "You guys know each other?" 05 "Hey, aren't I just starting my residency?" Carter said. "Dr. Hayes is my attending physician." Ethan is a doctor. Carter is a med student. I definitely hadn't expected that Ethan would be Carter's mentor. He looked back at me, then asked Carter: "So, you live here with her?" "Yeah. It's super close to the hospital, makes commuting a breeze." Ethan's expression grew even darker. He used to live here too, before I kicked him out. Carter looked back and forth between me and Ethan. "Dr. Hayes, what brings you over?" Ethan maintained a bizarre silence. I spoke up for him: "Um, he's the handyman who came to set up the bed. He just finished." Maybe it was too humiliating, but Ethan practically fled the scene. Carter stood there, bewildered. "The youngest attending physician in the entire hospital, and you called him over to assemble a bed?" "He was eager to do it." I was annoyed. Carter looked down and sighed. "Did my mentor... walk off wearing my slippers?" That pair of men's loafers was sitting neatly by the door. I wanted to message Ethan on WhatsApp, but he had actually blocked me. Carter put down the can of wet food. After a while, Mimi poked her head out. Yesterday, Mimi had dragged a bug onto the bed. Carter spent the entire night trying to catch it, and ended up stomping the bed until it collapsed. Carter felt terrible about it. I was very calm: "I'm taking it out of your security deposit." When night fell, I tossed and turned, completely unable to sleep. Carter let out a screech from the bathroom. "Fuck, the water is freezing!" Ethan must have taken a cold shower this afternoon. Knowing Ethan had blocked me, I sent a weird message to his number just to vent. "Dr. Hayes handled it himself manually and just left me hanging? What a jerk." It was pure, sexually frustrated resentment. Message sent. Delivered successfully. I froze, then immediately unsent it. This guy had unblocked me. Did he see it? I guiltily probed: "Just letting you know, you left your shoes at my place." A barrage of messages from Ethan popped up. "I saw it." "I'm not coming over." "Don't send me that kind of stuff in the middle of the night." "Carter is my student." He saw it. Was he in his post-nut clarity phase? His tone was so cold. And so what if he's his student? 06 Carter had just finished showering and grabbed some crawfish takeout, calling me out for a late-night snack. I sent Ethan a message. "Got it. Carter's calling me. Can't chat with you now." My hands were busy peeling crawfish, so I couldn't reply to messages. By the time we finished, it was almost 11 PM. Only then did I see the message Ethan had sent two hours ago. "I'm redundant. The bed was just set up; it might not be safe to go too hard on it." Ethan really was a good mentor, caring so much about Carter's well-being. I replied directly: "Just saw your message. I'll tell him to be careful." The screen showed "typing...". He was typing for a really long time. I waited earnestly for his reply. To my surprise, Ethan initiated a video call. I was in the bathroom, washing my hands under the faucet. My face appeared on the phone screen. My entire face was flushed red from the spicy crawfish, and my lips were slightly swollen. I hurriedly turned off the water. Ethan stared at me intently, his gaze sharp and piercing, with a hint of cold fury. "He spent two hours with you... and you still want more? Come out and join me for round two?" 07 I checked the time. It was almost midnight. Going out for a late-night snack with my ex at this hour? "No thanks, I'm full." Ethan sat in a single armchair, tilting his head back, his fingers dragging through his hair in frustration. "Full? Good for you. You really just treat me like a tool." His phone seemed to be resting on the coffee table. The camera angle pointed upward, so it didn't capture Ethan's face. It only showed his long, powerful legs, his pale wrists, his slightly raised chin, and his sharp Adam's apple. What kind of weird female-gaze angle was this? It was like I was kneeling right in front of him. I didn't hear a word he said; I was just busy silently taking screenshots. "Hey, who are you video chatting with?" Carter walked past the door, his eyes landing on my phone screen. "No one." I guiltily hung up. Living with a young guy, you have to maintain strict boundaries, lest he get the idea of paying rent in trade. Carter crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe, looking highly amused. "I saw you taking screenshots. You really should find a boyfriend instead of chatting up cam boys online." I shook the water off my hands: "He's not a cam boy, he's..." He's your attending physician. Kids these days, so rude. Carter raised an eyebrow: "Is he your boyfriend, then?" "No, just a friend." I walked past him. Carter stepped aside to let me through. "What kind of 'friend'?" he asked brazenly. "The kind where you video chat without seeing his face, only his crotch?" "Can you not be so vulgar?" If it weren't for his sister, I would have told him to get the hell out immediately. His sister is my direct supervisor. "Careful, don't let anyone record you..." Carter gave me a meaningful look. What did he think I was talking about with that guy? Is everyone's head in the gutter these days? He suddenly leaned in close and blinked. "If you have needs, why not come to me? I'm young, clean, and I won't charge you." 08 "Thanks, but no thanks." I had absolutely zero interest in my boss's younger brother. Even if I did have needs, I had someone else in mind. "He ran into you just now. I'm back in my room now. Still want to video chat?" I lay on my bed and texted Dr. Hayes. "Are you guys... fighting because of me?" "What fight? You're overthinking it. He didn't even recognize it was you." "Oh." The conversation was abruptly cut off. No matter what else I sent, Ethan wouldn't reply. I was fuming at my phone. Over the next few days, Carter became incredibly busy, getting off work at 2 AM every day. I subtly asked him: "Is Dr. Hayes this busy too?" "The old man is a workaholic with no personal life. He's always breathing down my neck, making me work. It's like he has a grudge against me." Carter was so exhausted he was having paranoid delusions. Thinking he and Ethan were friends, he asked me to put in a good word for him indirectly. I texted Ethan. "Dr. Hayes, it's fine if you want to overwork yourself, but can't you let your students leave on time?" Ethan was very cold. "It's just work." Two minutes later, he sent another message. "I didn't make things difficult for him." I hadn't actually planned on standing up for Carter; it was just an excuse to chat with him. "I know you're not that kind of person." Ethan: "..." He sent back an ellipsis. Half a month later, I went to the hospital because my hormones were out of whack. The female doctor asked about the frequency of my sexual activity over the past three months. I massaged my temples helplessly: "Half a month ago, I made out with someone. Does that count?" Of course not. She politely suggested I just needed a good night's sleep. Standing in the hospital elevator, I fell deep into thought. Who should I sleep with? The elevator doors slowly opened, and a crowd of doctors rushed in, squeezing me into the back corner. Ethan, wearing his white coat, stood in front of a group of interns. His expression was serious and cold, exuding a powerful aura. Carter was right behind him, eyes closed, yawning. Compared to Ethan's elite vibe, Carter was completely overshadowed. My gaze drifted over the crowd and landed on the man's striking profile. Wasn't this the universe delivering a pillow right when I was sleepy? He clearly had feelings for me last time. I texted him. "Dr. Hayes, that thing we didn't finish last time... want to pick up where we left off?" Ethan looked down at his phone, his eyes narrowing slightly, and immediately locked the screen. He glanced back, looking terrified of being caught, acting incredibly guilty. Ethan in "work mode" was indescribably cute. My playful side flared up. "Dr. Hayes, I'm not feeling well. Should I come to the hospital for a checkup?" Ethan glanced down, discreetly shifting two steps away from Carter. "What's wrong?" I watched him, smirking as I typed. "My whole body aches." "I want to book an appointment with Dr. Hayes." "Can you give me a thorough, inside-and-out examination?" "Maybe the doctor knows better than the patient where it hurts." Ethan awkwardly cleared his throat, stood sideways in silence, and clutched his phone to his chest. "Ms. Vance, please have some self-respect." "Even if you're not feeling well, don't come to me. Have Carter take a look at you." He was being way too much of a nerd. I was talking about hooking up, and he was talking about a medical exam? How did I ever agree to date him in the first place? Oh, right, I remember now. I was the one who pursued him. Well, that makes sense. "But I only want Dr. Hayes to look at me." Ethan's fingertips paused. He secretly glanced at Carter, then quickly looked away. That fluid sequence of movements—it was like he wasn't caught, but rather looking down on Carter. Carter suddenly looked up: "Dr. Hayes, is something wrong?" The aloof Dr. Hayes jumped. "Ah? No, nothing." Carter: "..." Ethan quickly turned around and looked down to reply. "I'm at work, stop texting me, I'm begging you." Flirting with him at work really freaked him out. "Dr. Hayes, I'm in the elevator." "I'm not afraid. What are you afraid of?" 09 Ethan was very tall. He pretended to turn sideways and immediately spotted me. I gave him a wink. He hurriedly turned back around, exuding immense "sneaking around" energy. His group of doctors quickly exited the elevator. I continued riding down to the B2 parking level. As soon as the doors opened, someone grabbed my wrist and pulled me into a dim stairwell corner. I was completely enveloped by the man's shadow. "Chloe, what exactly are you trying to do?" He looked down at me, his voice cold and deep. I stood up straight and looked back at him. "I want to ask you out. Is that a problem?" Ethan stared at me coldly: "Yes." "If it is, then never mind." If he didn't want to revisit our history, then forget it. I stepped out into the light. "You wait right there." I stopped and turned around. The man hidden in the dim light leaned back against the wall, rubbing his temples with his fingertips. "Can't we discuss this? If people find out about this, how am I supposed to face anyone? How can I be a role model?" He pressed his hand against his forehead, looking both frustrated and resentful. "You need to make that guy move out first." I frowned, looking confused. "Why?" Ethan was looking at me, his voice turning even colder. "Don't tell me you want to do it with me while he's in the apartment?" I felt like something was off. But right now, he seemed to urgently need me to declare my stance. I paused: "Of course not. I was planning on booking a hotel." Ethan stared at me silently. It gave me the creeps. "Am I only worthy of a hotel?" I didn't understand. Ethan was already pressing the elevator button. He was going back to work. I asked him hesitantly: "So, I'll book the hotel and text you?" He looked up at me, his gaze icy. "No need. I'm not that desperate." The elevator doors closed. I stood there in silence for a long time. What did he mean by that? I was willing to discuss it with him. Wasn't a five-star hotel good enough? I was going to ask Ethan to elaborate on the "desperate" part, but realized I was blocked again. Psycho. Always blocking his ex. 10 Carter actually got off work at a normal time today. "It's a miracle. Dr. Hayes finally acted like a human being and let me come home to spend time with my girlfriend." I was on the balcony bending over to play with the cat. "You have a girlfriend?" "No, but on my first day of residency, I fabricated a 'taken' persona. Otherwise, wouldn't I be the prime candidate for exploitation?" "Aren't you afraid of blocking your own dating prospects?" The TV was on in the living room. Carter lay on the sofa, eyes closed, talking nonsense. "What dating prospects? They're non-existent anyway. I just tell my coworkers that if I keep working this much overtime, she's definitely going to break up with me, or she's secretly cheating on me, I wouldn't even know." "You actually found the niche 'cuckold' demographic?" No one answered me. Carter had fallen asleep. I grabbed a blanket and threw it over him, sat down in a single armchair, and casually started scrolling on my phone. To my absolute shock, I saw Ethan's Instagram post. He posted a faceless photo of his abs. A hand with prominent knuckles was pulling up the hem of his shirt, revealing a very enticing V-line. I liked it, felt it was inappropriate, and immediately un-liked it. A high-quality thirst trap like this, with only me liking it, meant it was probably a "Close Friends Only" post where I was the only close friend. I seriously suspected this guy had something wrong with his brain. We couldn't even manage to hook up. He blocks and unblocks me on WhatsApp. And his seduction tactics never stop. I angrily commented: "Playing hard to get." In less than three seconds, he deleted the post. I felt like I could hear a fragile glass heart shattering through the screen. "I'm sorry." I felt so guilty I wanted to die. Ethan: "It has nothing to do with you. I posted it by mistake. I deleted it as soon as I realized." Ethan: "I let Carter go home early. Don't contact me anymore in the future, it's really not right." He never liked the whole "using connections" or "cutting corners" thing. "I won't do it again." "I just mentioned it casually before." "Also, your photo was really nice." Ethan: "What you just said wasn't like that." I sent an emoji of a confused white kitten standing up. Ethan's phone call came through. "Is Carter next to you?" His voice sounded very nervous. I picked up my water glass from the coffee table and looked at Carter on the sofa. "Yeah, he fell asleep a long time ago. I'm just playing on my phone. What did you want to say?" The voice on the other end was silent for a long time. Amidst a faint static hum, every word Ethan spoke was incredibly shameful. "You said the photo was nice. Do you want to video chat with me?" 11 Is this something he would actually say out loud? I spat out a mouthful of water. Carter was startled awake. He asked me what I was doing, and I quickly said nothing. Luckily, Ethan didn't make a sound either. I sneakily went back to my room. Climbing into bed, I told Ethan, "Yes, let's video chat." He looked at me, lowered his head, and gave a soft "mhm." He pointed his phone camera at his waist and abdomen. His hands moved up, taking off his t-shirt. Not only did he have a great body, but he was also very pale, which made the red flush on his skin stand out even more. I was so embarrassed I had to cover my mouth to stop myself from screaming. Before, when I asked him to leave the lights on, he was so reluctant. Now my ex-boyfriend was completely letting loose. I couldn't see Ethan's face, but his voice carried a slight tremble. "Where do you want to look? You can ask, I'll do anything." I gulped. You shouldn't push your luck. Chloe, you need to maintain your composure. I hesitated, wanting to ask but stopping myself. "Can you take off your pants?" OK, fine. I'll be a good woman in my next life. The body on screen clearly stiffened for a second. His hands hovered near his waist, his fingertips gently pressing in, hesitating to move lower. "Underwear... I should still keep my underwear on." His voice sounded so wronged. That was probably his absolute limit. "Mhm, you can keep it on." I seriously admired Ethan's subsequent performance. His waist and ass were truly sexy. He was wearing dark blue, his taste impeccable. Ethan's voice was filled with shame. "Chloe, could you not stare at just one spot?" Only then did I realize— My intense, focused gaze had practically cooked him from the inside out. I awkwardly cleared my throat: "Sorry." "It's okay." He lowered his voice. "I'm doing this willingly." I noticed Ethan's disappointment. "How about, to be fair, I show you too?" Ethan's flushed face appeared on the screen. He lowered his eyelashes, his tone evasive: "No need. I'm going to sleep." Given the state he was just in, how could he possibly be going to sleep? "Are you going to handle it yourself again?" Ethan was silent for a moment, slowly raising his eyes to look at me, his gaze complex and unreadable. "What else am I supposed to do?" Obviously, you're supposed to ask me out. What kind of rhetorical question is "What else am I supposed to do?"? I just looked at him quietly, not speaking, not hanging up. Ethan seemed to read the hint in my eyes. He looked like he was being forced into sex work. "Then, do you want to come to my place now?"
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