Feeling unwell, I decided to ask my boss for half a day off.

Upon returning home and pushing open the tightly closed bedroom door, I caught sight of my girlfriend Scarlett Bullock's senior, Benjamin Stone, shirtless, sporting a pair of shorts, sharing the room with my Scarlett.

Startled by my sudden return, they were clearly taken aback.

I nonchalantly remarked, "Sorry to interrupt, you two carry on, I'll step out for a bit."

——

"Gabriel, get back here!" Scarlett stormed out of the bedroom, seething with anger.

Perplexed, I retorted, "Are you suggesting a threesome?"

"Ugh, your mind is filled with filth, typical of a suspicious person like you, seeing everything as dirty," Scarlett snapped.

Sighing, I casually lifted Scarlett's lace camisole nightgown. "I've never seen this nightgown before. Why reveal so much skin if there's nothing to impress?"

Blushing, Scarlett stammered, "This nightgown is..."

I knew for sure that this nightgown wasn't meant for me.

"Stop beating around the bush."

"Then go on, please?" I smiled.

"You've misunderstood, Benjamin was here to help us fix the faucet. He got sprayed and I washed his clothes, airing them out in this hot weather to dry quickly," Scarlett explained, pointing to Benjamin's clothes outside the window.

"Benjamin is amazing, knowledgeable and handy with fixing faucets," I complimented.

At that moment, Benjamin emerged from the bedroom, awkwardly clearing his throat. "Gabriel, don't get the wrong idea. Scarlett and I share a sibling-like bond, and we were only in the bedroom for the air conditioning."

"In that case, you owe me an air conditioning fee," I quipped.

Benjamin was taken aback, not expecting my response.

"Benjamin came specifically to bring me lychees today, and you're talking about an air conditioning fee. Are you out of your mind?" Scarlett retorted, looking at me disdainfully.

Glancing at the bunch of lychees on the table, I couldn't help but chuckle. "Benjamin has ulterior motives, not just about the lychees."

"What do you mean? Stop being cryptic." Scarlett frowned.

"Scarlett, you've misunderstood me. I meant Benjamin's intentions weren't towards you but towards fixing the faucet, right, Benjamin?"

"Yes, yes, Scarlett messaged me about the broken faucet, and since you were at work, I came over," Benjamin said.

"Wait a minute, Scarlett said you came specifically to bring lychees, now it's about fixing the faucet? You two haven't synchronized your confessions?" I teased.

"Confession? We're not criminal!"

"Then synchronized your stories?"

Blushing, both of them were caught off guard, and I awkwardly smiled, rolled up my sleeves, grabbed my tools, and headed to the bathroom.

"Need any help?" Benjamin feigned concern.

"I'm afraid you might make things worse," I quipped.

"Benjamin, ignore him. He's just a rough laborer. Come over and have some lychees."

After a quarter of an hour, I fixed the faucet.

Washing my face, I noticed bloodshot eyes in the mirror, a hot flush on my cheeks, and a heavy head, likely a cold coming on.

Exiting the bathroom, I saw Benjamin already dressed.

"Benjamin, stay for dinner," Scarlett insisted.

Insensitive, Benjamin glanced at me, seeking my opinion.

Smiling, I said, "Don't worry, dinner won't extort you. Just a symbolic 20 dollars will do."

"I have something to attend to, so I'll head out," Benjamin grumbled, leaving.

"Gabriel, why are you so petty? It's just a dinner, and you're asking for money?" Scarlett complained.

Ever since Benjamin returned from out of town two years ago, our arguments revolved around him. The most intense one led to us smashing the living room furniture.

Repeatedly, I questioned whether Benjamin was her boyfriend or if I held that position.

Each time, she would hysterically yell, accusing me of being petty, controlling, and having no right to interfere with her social interactions.

I walked over and grabbed Scarlett's hand. "Come on, let's go downstairs for some crawfish."

"Hold on a second."

"What's up?"

"Are you kidding me? I can't go downstairs in this outfit."

"It's fine. If anyone wants to look, let them. It's not like you're going to lose a piece of meat over it."

"You..." Scarlett shot me a disbelieving look, her eyes wide with frustration.

"What? You called me stingy earlier. If I don't care about people peeking you now, isn't that pretty generous of me?"

"Gabriel, are you doing this on purpose to annoy me? Fine, I'm skipping dinner." She stormed off into the bedroom, slamming the door behind her with a loud thud.

This tactic of hers, skipping meals in a huff, never failed.

Every time, I ended up begging her to eat, feeding her myself.

But today, I felt like, if she wanted to skip dinner, so be it.

I was starting to feel increasingly unwell, shivering as a chill set in.

I quickly took a couple of cold medicine tablets and wrapped myself in a blanket, collapsing onto the sofa.

Her words kept echoing in my mind, "He's just a rough laborer."

I was fuming!

Who was born to do rough work?

Who was born knowing how to fix faucets, repair lights, or handle gas stoves?

Weren't we all our parents' precious darlings?

Back in college, my parents worried whether I could manage on my own.

I didn't even know there were different types of light bulbs—incandescent, fluorescent, energy-saving, LED.

I didn't know faucets came in various models or what tools like wrenches, pliers, or screwdrivers were for.

I learned all of this after meeting Scarlett.

As a man, I was expected to hold up a household, and knowing how to do basic repairs was just part of it.

But Scarlett seemed to think I was born to do these things, naturally cut out for rough work.

"Gabriel, wake up, wake up..."

I was jolted awake by a series of shakes, looking outside to see the sky cloaked in darkness.

"Do you really have the heart to let me go hungry?" Scarlett said, her voice filled with a pitiful tone.

"Scarlett, take a good look at me, do you notice anything different from usual?"

"You look particularly handsome today."

"Really?" I forced a smile, though feeling a sense of desolation within.

Entering my exclusive kitchen, I started preparing dinner.

In the five years we had been together, I could immediately sense any slight discomfort in her body, often nipping illnesses in the bud.

Now, I was covered in sweat, with my t-shirt soaked through, my face flushed, and walking as light as a feather, but she couldn't discern that I was sick.

Suddenly, a phrase came to mind. "When the heart is not with you, even if you lose a hand, she or he wouldn't notice."

After dinner, I continued to lounge on the sofa.

"Are you still sulking about Benjamin and me..."

"Your relationship is innocent, I know that."

"Then why are you protesting by sleeping on the sofa?" Scarlett asked, hands on her hips, her expression stern.

With a wry smile, I said, "Take a closer look at me today. What's different?"

"You didn't shave?"

I shook my head.

"You didn't prepare fruits for me after dinner."

I chuckled self-deprecatingly.

I thought, "Scarlett, oh Scarlett, I've pampered you too much."

"Don't keep me in suspense, just say it."

"I have a cold and can't go into the bedroom to use the air conditioning."

I had hoped she would say, "I turned off the air conditioning, come in and rest."

But I overestimated her, and I overestimated the bond between us.

"In that case, you'll be sleeping on the sofa tonight," Scarlett said, grabbing a bag of snacks and heading into the bedroom.

A few minutes later, she came running out again.

I thought she would ask if I had taken any medicine.

But I was mistaken.

"Gabriel, tomorrow is your birthday. We had planned to have dinner together, but I have to accompany a very important client tomorrow night. I promise to be back before midnight to celebrate with you."

"Alright, remember, be back before 12, or the fancy clothes and luxurious carriage will disappear, and you'll turn back into Cinderella."

She walked into the bedroom, smiling.

In the past, I would have felt uncomfortable, gotten angry, thrown a tantrum, and begged.

I would say, "Please, don't accompany the client, celebrate my birthday with me, it's only once a year."

But it would not happen anymore.

I remember when we first got together; it was her birthday, and I happened to be away on a business trip. To be able to celebrate with her, I rushed back from over 300 miles away, spent her birthday with her, and then hurried back to the city where I was working the next night.

Walking along the bustling food court at 7 p.m. the next day, watching happy couples pass by, I recalled the first time I met Scarlett.

It was at a popular restaurant, coincidentally on Valentine's Day. Being single, I felt a pang seeing the couple's set meal at half price, a bitter taste in my mouth.

A very attractive girl smiled and asked me, "Hey, handsome, want to share a couple's meal with me?"

She was Scarlett.

From then on, we pretended to be a couple and ordered the couple's set meal at half price.

During the meal, we discovered numerous shared interests, like watching thrillers, admiring the same celebrity, and enjoying hiking...

"Why did you choose me out of all these people to share a meal with?" I asked.

"I don't know, I just felt like I knew you from somewhere," Scarlett replied with a smile.

"Even though it's our first meeting, I also have this strange sense of familiarity with you."

"Really? Maybe we were lovers in a past life, haha..."

I unknowingly found myself at the entrance of a restaurant. Despite it being summer, business was surprisingly good. Guided by the waiter, I took a seat on the second-floor terrace. After placing my order, I deliberately asked, "Do you have any small cakes? It's my birthday today."

The female server said, "Yes, happy birthday to you."

"Thank you."

As the server walked away, I heard a voice saying, "We plan to get married next month."

It was Scarlett's voice.

Turning towards the voice, I saw the dining area 16 feet to my left.

Scarlett was sitting next to Benjamin, with a young girl in her twenties sitting across from them. The girl had dyed red hair and heavy makeup.

The red-haired girl stubbornly said, "I don't believe you're getting married. You must be tricking me."

"How many times do I have to say it for you to believe me? She is my girlfriend, and we are getting married. Stop pestering me," Benjamin replied, annoyed.

"You say you are Benjamin's girlfriend? Fine, tell me then, what does Benjamin like to eat? What brand of clothes does he wear? What shoe size does he wear..."

"He likes to eat mousse cake, but it must be made with vegetable oil, or else his stomach will bother him. He only drinks iced Americano; he doesn't like pungent smell; he eats noodles without cilantro; he eats beef but not lamb. He wears clothes that are two sizes larger, likes tops from Vance & Se, suits from Yohji Yamamoto, and summer collections from Paul. He wears size 10 shoes and likes Air Jordans..." Scarlett rattled off for over ten minutes.

Listening from the second-floor terrace, I heard it all clearly and, shocked, I couldn't help but wear a wry smile...

After being together with me for five years, she had forgotten several times that I didn't eat cilantro, buying me clothes that were either too small to wear or too large.

As for coffee, it was no wonder that when we went to Starbucks several times, she would inadvertently blurt out "iced Americano" before correcting herself to cappuccino, which was my favorite.

The dishes soon arrived, along with a small cake.

I ate and watched their drama unfold.

It was quite interesting.

The red-haired girl persisted, saying, "You must have been prepped by Benjamin to say all that."

"Then how else would you believe that I am his girlfriend?" Scarlett retorted.

"You two don't look intimate at all."

Benjamin wrapped his arm around Scarlett. "Is this enough for you?"

"A hug doesn't prove much. At least give each other a kiss."

Benjamin hesitated, and Scarlett took the initiative to peck his cheek.

"Now do you believe us?" Scarlett said.

"A peck on the cheek doesn't prove anything. Give each a kiss on the lips, then I'll believe you're a couple."

My hand holding the fork froze.