When Ethan Jones sat down across from me, I felt so awkward I could have sworn I was going to sink into the floor.

Who could possibly understand what I was going through? I was supposed to meet a friend’s online contact, only to discover that the contact was actually my boss. Why did my life have to be so complicated?

“Lillie, you—” he began.

Before he could say another word, I clasped my hands together and, with tears welling up in my eyes, said, “Mr. Jones, I’m actually here on behalf of a friend. The person you’ve been chatting with online isn’t me.”

I quickly pulled out my phone, opened my profile, and showed it to him. “See? This is my personal account. I’ve never talked to you before.”

Ethan squinted, seemingly unfazed by my distress, and read out a message, “Are you looking at male models right now?”

“Interesting. This is way more entertaining than your PPT,” he said, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

I was left speechless.

Even the waiter passing by couldn’t help but chuckle.

Ethan straightened up with a forced smile and said, “Since you’re here, let’s eat. We can talk more after.”

Help! Who wants to have dinner with their boss? I was screaming internally.

But instead, I managed a strained smile and stammered, “Sure, let’s do that.”

The dishes started arriving—steak, creamy mushroom soup, and other favorites of mine. On any other day, I would have enjoyed them.

But now, everything tasted like cardboard, and I found it hard to swallow.

I regretted being so eager. If I had come later than Ethan, I would have figured out that the person I was meeting was him.

As I took a bite of my steak, the rich juices spilling out, he casually asked, “Lillie, why didn’t your friend want to meet me?”

A half-eaten shrimp suddenly felt like a struggle to swallow. Staring at Ethan’s young, handsome face now filled with confusion, I could only respond vaguely, “She’s feeling a bit under the weather.”

I even gave him a knowing look.

Ethan sighed, his hands clasped under his chin, looking a bit disappointed. “We’ll have to reschedule then.”

Honestly, I was still a bundle of nerves.

From our year of working together, he was definitely not the kind of boss you’d call “gentle.”

But from our year of online dating, he was a different story—gentle, steady, and understanding.

I couldn’t reconcile these two sides of him.

It was autumn, and the night air was cool.

Ethan walked me to the entrance of my building, his gaze calm. He called out my name, “Lillie.”

He was so tall I felt like a little kid next to him.

The scene brought me back to the office, where he would stand like this, facing me, and pile on tasks.

I looked up, puzzled, as he said, “Don’t forget to get me that PPT for the report tomorrow.”

Just a little while ago, he had been polite and considerate, even serving me a bowl of seafood porridge.

Now, he was back to being all business.

What’s with the act? I muttered to myself.

But I didn’t dare complain out loud. Instead, I gave a cold “mm” and turned to leave.

He calls me “baby” every day on WhatsApp, but now in person, he’s all formal.

I was fuming, so I messaged him from our chat account.

[Sorry, baby. I wasn’t feeling well today and didn’t want to disappoint you, so I sent my friend instead.]

Ethan replied. [It’s okay, baby. Your friend is nice.]

I was stunned.

What did he mean by that?

I felt a jolt of realization and decided to test the waters. [Well, if you think my friend is so great, why don’t you date her?]

He answered right away. [Okay, baby.]

I was even more shocked.

Did Ethan just agree to date my friend?

I tugged at my hair, shaking my head in the mirror, nearly losing my mind!

After calming down, I came up with a plan.

After washing up and getting comfy in bed, I gritted my teeth and sent him a message. [Baby, I was just joking before.]

He responded. [Baby, but I’m serious. Lillie is my subordinate; I see her every day, and it feels real. I’m getting older, and my family is pushing me to settle down and get married.]

I took a deep breath, feeling like I was choking on my words. I didn’t want to deal with him anymore.

The next day, in Ethan’s office, he sat behind a massive wooden desk, his head down as he scrutinized the revised PPT I’d just sent him, his face as stormy as a summer thundercloud.

After a long, tense silence, he finally looked up, a hint of confusion in his eyes. “Lillie, you didn’t get this job through some kind of connection, did you?”

As soon as he spoke, I felt my face flush, stumbling over my words, “No, you hired me during the campus recruitment.”

It was midsummer, and companies from all over were there. Ethan’s team stood out with their laid-back style—T-shirts, shorts, and flip-flops. They looked more like they were headed for a beach party than a job fair.

At the time, I hadn’t faced the real world’s harshness and didn’t think to ask about perks or benefits. I just eagerly handed my resume to Ethan, who was clearly the most attractive recruiter there.

He was the one who interviewed me. Under the blazing sun, he chugged several bottles of water, his Adam’s apple bobbing, sweat trailing down his neck. I was completely spellbound.

“You studied Chinese Language and Literature at Silverine University, right? And you’re from this city?” he asked.

After I answered, he flipped through my resume with a casual air, nodding as if he’d already made up his mind. “She’s the one. Get her details and wrap it up.”

Later, I learned I was the only person they hired on the spot.

Ethan suddenly said, “Come over here. I’ll show you how to fix these.”

I moved a chair and sat next to him, instantly enveloped by the refreshing scent of polished wood. It smelled amazing.

“Delete this part, and this one too.”

“Change the font here to highlight the main points.”

“And this section needs to be clearer.”

With rapid clicks of the mouse, his movements were swift and precise. After making several significant edits, he finally looked at me, his gaze steady. “Got it?”

I nodded quickly, “Got it, Mr. Jones.”

“Good. Make the rest of the changes,” he instructed.

As I settled in at the computer, feeling his gaze on me was intensely nerve-wracking. The office was spacious and quiet, and I could hear his soft, steady breathing, like a gentle spring breeze.

My heart pounded in my chest, not from fear of my boss or work stress, but from an intense, confusing emotion.

I fumbled with the mouse for a moment before standing up abruptly and saying, “Mr. Jones, I think I’ll go back to my desk to finish these changes so I don’t disturb you.”

I grabbed my notebook and practically bolted out of the office.

Oh no! What if he decides to follow me?

The moment I stepped out, I grabbed Ada from HR, barely able to contain my curiosity. “Ada, does the company really crack down on office romances?”

Ada gave me a knowing look and leaned in conspiratorially, pointing at my forehead. “Come on, spill it. Who’s got your interest? Keep it hush-hush; just don’t let me catch you sneaking around.”

I shook my head vigorously, clutching my notebook. “No one! I have a boyfriend, remember?”

Her interest seemed to fade as she shrugged and went to get some water.

Everyone knew about my long-distance boyfriend, though I kept things low-key. I’d always said he worked out of town, so we rarely saw each other. It was a convenient excuse.

But now, it’s time to end things with him.

I sneaked a glance at my phone and saw that Ethan had sent me a “Goodnight, baby” in the middle of the night. How shameless!

I quickly typed a message and hit send. [We’re not a match. Let’s delete each other.]

As soon as I sent it, I felt a pang in my heart.

A whole year of daily texts, checking in on each other, gifts for holidays—everything a relationship could offer, except for seeing each other face-to-face or hearing each other’s voice. We shared our daily lives and emotions like any long-distance couple, gradually connecting on a deeper level.

Often, after closing my phone, I’d hug my pillow and imagine what the person I’d been chatting with online was really like. How tall, how heavy, what their eyes, nose, and mouth looked like.

But then, I realized those details didn’t really matter. What I liked was him as a person, the experience of being with him, not his looks or height.

Yet, seeing Ethan in person shattered that illusion.

How could a high-level executive be into online relationships?

I can’t have Ethan as my boyfriend! Absolutely not!