The year I returned to New York, my life was a mess. I was passing out flyers and, exhausted, leaned against a luxury car parked on the street to catch my breath. Inside, a London-based investment banker was arguing with his trophy girlfriend. "It's just an old picture frame!" the girl snapped, eyes red with anger. "I'm not apologizing. I'm just a replacement anyway. If you're so upset, go find someone who looks even more like her!" Fuming, the man glanced out the window and pointed straight at me just as I pulled off my mascot head. Our eyes met, and he froze. Suddenly, floating text—like a livestream chat—appeared before my eyes. [LMAO. He accidentally points at the White Moonlight. The Ex-Wife must be secretly thrilled seeing the Male Lead hasn't forgotten her after all these years.] [But our Substitute Sister has already healed his heart with her love. Will he still choose the villainess?] [After all, the Male Lead hates dirty things, and the Villainess... looks pretty cheap right now.] 1 "Hey, I'll give you five million dollars. You won't have to worry about money for three years. Will you be my mistress?" Julian shoved his hands in his pockets, looking at me with impatient, heavy-lidded eyes. Halfway through the sentence, he stopped. The casual arrogance on his face vanished, replaced by a look of profound complexity. I froze at "five million dollars." Is the pay for being a stand-in really that good? My eyes darted around before landing on the iced americano in his hand. The new Starbucks brew, supposedly great for staying awake in this heat. Maybe the silence stretched too long. The girl in the Miu Miu dress puffed out her cheeks, turning to glare at me. "Why are you even asking her? She's dying to say yes. Gold diggers are everywhere these days..." She stopped mid-sentence. "No way. Someone actually looks that much like her?" seeing Julian still staring at me, the girl felt a sudden pang of crisis. She looked me up and down. "But her style is tacky, she's not as pretty as me, not as young, and her face is sweaty." She stomped her stilettos. "Fine! Choose the flyer girl! I'm going to find another man!" "Tara." Julian finally spoke. He tore his gaze away from me, frowned, and grabbed the girl throwing a tantrum. Tara was still muttering, aggrieved. "Let go." "It's just a yellowed picture frame. It broke, so what? You didn't even yell at me when I secretly sold her apartment!" I paused. So the little apartment we lived in was sold long ago. People get sentimental as they age. I had been saving money, hoping to buy it back... As she spoke, tears welled up in the girl's eyes. "And didn't you say you hated it when people mentioned her name..." She tugged at the man's sleeve, looking up at him. Julian rubbed his temples, about to scold her. But when he looked down, he froze again. I followed his gaze and froze too. It was uncanny. Or rather, it was exactly like 18-year-old me. Especially that look. Whenever I couldn't finish my homework and cried in secret, I would look at him with that same bratty expression. After a long moment, Julian’s voice rasped. "Enough. Stop it. I'm not mad at you." He paused. "And I don't want to just find some random woman..." I slowly raised the flyer in my hand, interrupting him. "If you can help me hit my quota, sir, I'm willing." The air went dead silent. Julian looked at me. In his dark eyes, I felt like I could see the reflection of my own fake smile. I had just taken off the mascot head. Hair stuck to my face. I was a mess. Reunions are so pathetic. After all these years, he still had that habit. Pursing his lips when he was in a bad mood. I blinked and changed my tune. "Sorry. Just joking." Tara let out a breath of relief. Looking at me like I was an idiot, she pulled Julian a little further away. Pushing her luck, she asked, "So, can I never see that photo again?" Julian glanced indifferently at the shattered frame on the ground. "Mn." He pulled a band-aid from his pocket and took the girl's hand. "Stop talking. You scratched yourself." 2 They drove off in the Rolls Royce. I stood there in a daze. The text barrage exploded in my vision. [LMAO. What is the Ex-Wife fantasizing about? Does she not remember who initiated the brutal breakup?] [She refused the arranged marriage and got suppressed hard. Then she got jealous and gave the Male Lead the cold shoulder. He spent a week abroad fixing the company mess.] [He came home and cooked immediately to surprise her, and she broke up with him because the fish was slightly burnt.] I gripped the flyer, my knuckles turning white. [The Male Lead was so good to her. Gave her his heart and soul. Stayed up late helping her with homework in high school, saved his allowance to buy her gifts.] [Exactly! She deserves it! Haven't seen the Male Lead smile like that in ages. Thank god he met our little sunshine, the Substitute Sister.] [Whatever, let the Ex-Wife keep suffering. The Male Lead wasn't supposed to throw that photo away until he was old, but the plot just sped up.] Oh, is that so? I sighed, looking at the lonely photo on the ground. It had been well protected. Not a hint of yellowing. I thought hard. This was taken a week before we broke up. The boy’s eyes were curved in a brilliant smile, holding the girl's hand like a treasure. In contrast, the girl was expressionless, looking rather cold. My memories were hazy, and my head started to throb. Thinking of Dr. Lin’s warning, I blinked and decided not to think about it. Just as I bent down to pick up the photo... "Sarah! What are you doing standing there? Get back here!" I quickly grabbed my flyers and ran back. When the event ended, I went home. Key in hand, ready to open the door, I realized I forgot the photo. My memory is terrible. It's so frustrating. I rode a shared bike back, but the photo was gone. A street cleaner had just finished sweeping the leaves. Under his puzzled gaze, I squatted and sifted through the pile of leaves. Nothing. Then, a familiar voice spoke beside me. "Sarah, you're destined not to keep anything." My heart gave a little ache. I turned my head. Dr. Lin squatted down too, handing me a tissue. A flash of complexity and pity crossed his eyes, but his smile was gentle. "Did you eat?" I shook my head, and he pulled me up. He scolded gently, "If I don't watch you, you won't eat on time, will you?" "Let's go. Look at you, dust all over your clothes." Knowing his tough-love nature, I smiled and trotted after him. "Okay, I'll treat you to seafood hotpot. Wait, you're allergic to seafood... no, wait, you hate carrots." His expression dimmed. He draped his coat over me naturally. "You remembered wrong again. I'm not allergic to seafood, and I like carrots." "Oh, right!" A long time later, a man in a dark trench coat walked out from behind a plane tree. He leaned against the tree, answering a call. The female voice on the other end was cheerful. "Julian, I found a really nice dress! But I like both the white and the red one..." Julian absently rubbed the old photo in his hand. The white dress on the girl in the picture shimmered. "Pick white. It suits you." 3 Days passed uneventfully. I almost forgot about the encounter. Except for the chat barrage chattering in my brain every day. They said Julian casually gave my favorite plushie to Tara. They said Julian took down all my photos in his room. They said Julian stopped calling my name in his nightmares. ... They were thrilled. [Thanks to the Ex-Wife, the Male Lead has finally let go of his obsession. The plot is moving to the sweet romance arc!] While they talked, I was pruning the flowers on the windowsill. The chat waited for me to get upset and cut my hand. I breathed out slowly. It's actually better this way. It's been so long. I only came back to the country to sneak a peek at him. Calculating the days, I'd be leaving in two months anyway. Boredom set in, so I took a few delivery orders. Purely because I was broke, and for some reason, certain orders paid ridiculously well. Wearing the yellow helmet, I sometimes remembered years ago, when business was bad. Julian ran deliveries just to buy me the prettiest white dress. Waiting at a red light, I looked left at an old apartment building. It was the little apartment we chose together. I wondered who owned it now. Ghost-guided, I took a detour, carrying the takeout up the stairs. Nothing had changed. The faded red couplets, the stickers I secretly cut out. Even the plants outside the door were clearly well-tended. Puzzled, I leaned my head against the door to listen. Suddenly, the door opened. I stumbled. Hands steadied me, deliberately keeping a small distance. "What a coincidence." A familiar, deep voice. It was Julian... He still wore the scent of cedarwood. His eyes were dark. I stepped back awkwardly, frozen, not knowing how to greet him. Julian slowly sat back down by the tea table and brewed a pot of tea. "Come in and sit." I widened my eyes, about to wave him off. He spoke calmly. "Long time no see. Is Miss Sarah unwilling to even say a word to me?" Julian remembered me. I pursed my lips, looking conflicted at the takeout in my hand. Whatever. Late is late. "I ordered it. If you're hungry, eat it." I paused. Looking at the receipt, it was the dumplings I used to love. A long-lost feeling surged in my heart. The decorations inside hadn't changed. He was waiting for me. I didn't say much and gently closed the door. My heart raced as I nervously sat opposite him. Julian handed me a cup of tea indifferently, not looking at me. I opened the box and took a tentative bite. It was spicy. So spicy tears welled up instantly. I grabbed the hot tea and gulped it down. My heart hurt too. Julian had forgotten I don't eat spicy food. 4 The chat laughed. [The Male Lead didn't say he ordered it for her. He was just being polite! The Ex-Wife is delusional.] [It's just a coincidence that the Substitute Sister likes the same place, and she loves extra spicy!] [The Male Lead is only here because he fought with the Sister and needed space.] As I sat in silence, Julian frowned. He got up and gently patted my back, tossing the takeout into the trash. After I drank all the tea, he asked, lips pursed. "Sorry. I haven't ordered from there in a long time." "How do you feel now?" I couldn't read him. Was he trying to mock me? But the worry on his face flashed by too quickly. I hesitated, then asked one last question. "Why didn't you sell this apartment?" He paused. His face remained calm. "It's listed. Maybe because it's old, no one wants it yet." "I come back occasionally to maintain it, see if I can get a better price." I let out a slow "Oh." I stood up to leave. "Mr. Thorne, I have things to do. I'll be going." He gave a soft "Mn." Sipping his tea, he didn't look up. I thought about it. This was probably the last time we'd see each other. But I couldn't find the words. "Goodbye." He didn't reply. Maybe he didn't hear. After finishing my deliveries, riding my scooter back, my phone rang. It was Dr. Lin. I picked up. I had something to tell him anyway. "You went to see Julian again?" I gave a weak "Mn." "But I'm not curious anymore." "Yeah. Like I said before, you're just exes. You dated, it blew up, you broke up. Now he's getting married." "You should just come back to Norway with me." Dr. Lin sighed on the other end, rambling about something. Suddenly, a car swerved in front of me. It was coming right at me. "Sarah!" A panicked shout made me flinch. My scooter wobbled and tipped over. I scraped my knee. The driver stepped out in high heels. "Ten thousand dollars. Is that enough to shut you up?" Coincidentally, it was Tara. I looked back and saw Julian. But his gaze swept over me indifferently as he politely helped me up. Then he frowned. "Tara, apologize." The girl's eyes reddened immediately. Julian paused, correcting himself. "I'm doing this for you. If the other party makes a scene, you're in the wrong." I spoke carefully. "Actually, I'm fine." Tara glanced at the ridiculous yellow helmet on my head, her expression turning disdainful. She threw a card at me. "She loves money anyway. She won't appreciate your kindness." "Julian, let's break up." He said coolly, "Because of her?" "Hmph, no. I wouldn't lower myself to be jealous of a woman like that. I just want to know one thing: why did you delay the engagement?" Julian hesitated for a long time. "Company issues." "Liar! Was it because your mother didn't like me today? Don't think I didn't notice." She stepped closer, aggressive. Julian lowered his head, his smile strained. The chat cried. [Sister, don't blame the Male Lead! He really tried! There was no choice.] [Old Lady Thorne is too powerful. If she disapproves, she'll transfer the company shares. So sad!] I frowned slightly. A vague memory flashed. I recalled that six years ago, Julian's mother opposed us just as vehemently. But it affected nothing. Julian never cared about his mother. "I want the wedding next Monday, or we break up!" Julian didn't try to stop her. She drove off in a huff. I squatted, about to pick up the card. Julian pulled me up. His eyes returned to their usual indifference. He smiled. "Sarah, is this how you take care of yourself?" [The Male Lead must be so disappointed seeing his White Moonlight rotting away.] [Ugh, Male Lead, forget the Ex-Wife! Go chase the Sister! She's stopped just up the road, regretting it!] Before the chat could gloat, his voice rasped. "I accept your offer." "Five million. Don't leave me again. Deal?" He reached out and hugged me. I froze. The chat went silent for a second. [WTF? Why is the plot going back to this conflict point? Die, villainess! Don't agree!] [It's fine, it's fine. He's just putting on a show to make the Sister jealous. Look how stiff his hands are.] [The Ex-Wife better have some self-awareness. Didn't you see how emotional he got when the heroine was mentioned?] I lowered my eyes. If you didn't pay close attention, Julian's hug really was stiff and awkward. Like he was trying very hard to avoid something. He held me for too long. Just as I was about to push him away, my shoulder felt wet. I froze. He was crying. Actually, he didn't need to act so convincingly for me. After all, he is Julian. I smiled and agreed readily. "Okay."
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