"You're the most free!" He shot me a glance and walked off.

Is that it? I thought it was going to be another long lecture.

Just came to drop off a cup of coffee?

Could it be that my alternate account saw my post?

I pressed my pounding heart, shaking off those dangerous thoughts.

It was clearly just a small gesture of warmth from a stingy boss.

I was about to argue when I received a message from my best friend, Sophie. Never mind, no need to rush into feeling bad.

“Elara, Elara, come out, I’ve got some juicy gossip.”

A barrage of familiar emojis flooded my phone, ding ding ding.

“On my way (waiting for the drama).”

“Cough, cough. A few days ago, I got a love consultation from a guy we’re calling King Arthur. Super rich, super impressive.”

“Go on, go on.” I was intrigued.

She works as a relationship consultant online, and often shares some ridiculous, hilarious gossip with me.

But we have our principles — just enjoy the drama ourselves, because we have to protect our clients' privacy.

Still, I’ve always thought, these days, people who seek love advice are just hopelessly love-struck, right?

“He added me on the first day, didn’t ask anything, just sent a two-hundred yuan red envelope. Let’s call him King Arthur for now.” I could feel Sophie’s excitement through the screen.

“I just followed my usual routine and asked him what kind of person he was trying to pursue. He shyly said she liked looking at handsome guys. So I asked, ‘Aren’t you handsome?’ He confidently said he was, and then added that he might be her boss, so their chats were all about work. I suggested he switch accounts and add her through another contact. I have no idea where he found it, but yesterday, he successfully added her.”

“A pure love warrior,” I muttered.

“The thing is, this morning. This morning, he messaged me asking what to do because the girl asked for a picture of his abs. Obviously, I told him to send it. But she wasn’t happy with it. So I said, ‘Send more, be bold, girls love seeing that stuff.’ Sure enough, she started chatting with him.”

The pattern felt familiar.

“Then he asked how to give the girl something she wanted to eat in front of other people. I said, ‘You’re King Arthur, buy it for everyone, and no one will suspect anything.’ He said that would make it too ordinary. I told him, ‘Just find an excuse and give it to her alone.’”

Yeah, that sounded more familiar.

“I don’t believe it. Unless you send me proof,” I challenged, and Sophie, unable to resist, sent me a screenshot.

That familiar profile picture. Comparing the two, it was practically identical.

If my jaw could hit the floor, it probably would have.

Elara, you’re done for.

So Felix knew it was my account?

Busted. I had hidden it so well.

The shock lasted for two days.

The panic kept me from replying to any of Felix’s messages.

I couldn’t face him, really.

Such a shame about those stunning abs, though.

But once I thought about Felix’s face… goodbye. Couldn’t do it.

That is, until Wednesday when I had to submit my work.

“Boss, the initial draft for Lumina Ltd. is ready.”

Workplace rule: Never show off your extraordinary talents, extra abilities, or your ability to finish tasks ahead of schedule.

So, submitting my drafts at the last minute is my specialty.

“You're really punctual.”

“Just average,” I humbly replied. “By the way, if there’s nothing urgent this afternoon, could I take a half-day off?”

“No plans. You’re free to go for half a day,” Felix said, looking up at me. Our eyes met. “But what are you taking time off for?”

I quickly averted my gaze, feeling a little guilty. “A blind date.”

“A blind date!?” Felix raised his voice, almost losing control of it.

“Boss, let me explain. I’m a young woman, beautiful and charming, but my family keeps seeing that I don’t have a partner and has set up several blind dates for me.” I shrank under Felix’s unfriendly gaze, my voice getting quieter. “I’ve always turned them down before, but this time, I really can’t avoid it!”