Part 3The Germaphobe Doctor's Unclean Ex-Girlfriend

My forehead throbbed twice, and I coughed, "I told you I have a boyfriend."

Julian suddenly laughed, "Boyfriend? Ryan already confessed everything. Said you scammed him out of six thousand dollars."

Me, "..."

At this moment, another familiar voice called me again, "Chloe..."

Ryan walked out from inside and closed the door, "You guys know each other, don't you?"

This matter definitely couldn't be covered up anymore; had to admit it. "Yeah, he is my, um, somewhat abnormal ex-boyfriend."

I originally thought Ryan would gossip about us very much, but he just looked at Julian with some hostility, then said, "He harassed you just now?"

I nodded vigorously. Julian squinted his captivating eyes, looking very angry.

Ryan pulled me over and said to Julian, "Although I treat you as a friend, Julian, since you didn't keep Chloe two years ago, why come to harass her now?"

Makes a lot of sense. But when I looked up and saw the loss flashing in Julian's eyes, my heart tightened unconsciously again.

Then, Ryan took me away in front of Julian. We didn't go back to the party but got directly into the car.

I was distracted all the way until Ryan called me, and I came back to my senses. "Chloe, do you still like Julian?"

Inexplicably, I heard the caution in Ryan's tone. I paused and didn't make a sound.

I couldn't answer.

The car was very quiet. Finally, I heard Ryan give a bitter laugh and say with forced ease, "I know. By the way, thanks for pretending to be my girlfriend today. In the future, you won't be able to scam my money. I'll take you home."

I wasn't a girl experiencing first love; of course, I knew Ryan's subtle feelings. So I said, "Sorry."

"No need to trouble you. I'll take a taxi back myself later."

My tone was polite and distant. Ryan watched me get out of the passenger seat but didn't stop me. The car stopped in front of me for about a minute and finally drove away.

I took a taxi all the way home and sat on the sofa in a daze for a long time. Two years later, I thought I had let go long ago. But the moment I saw Julian, the high wall I worked so hard to build in my heart collapsed without attack.

Fragile beyond imagination.

The more I thought about it, the sadder I got. Finally, turning grief into appetite, I tearfully ordered barbecue and fried chicken. I only drank alcohol at the banquet just now, so of course I was hungry now.

As a result, I ate myself into the hospital in the middle of the night. The cause was gastritis.

I realized that living alone these two years was really comfortable. I could do nothing when I got home, lie on the sofa and play with my phone, order takeout when hungry, drink soda when thirsty.

It affected my stomach more or less. In a daze, I suddenly remembered that during the year I was with Julian, although he demanded perfection in my personal affairs, he would also knock on the door every day to call me up for meals.

Meals he cooked personally. It's just that every time I ate, I would be despised by him. For example: you dropped rice grains; can you use serving chopsticks to pick up food; can you not spill the soup.

It seems his mysophobia is always the most vivid thing, vivid enough to make people forget everything else about him.

I ended up in the provincial hospital, as luck would have it, and saw Julian's familiar face again. That was the first time I saw him look panicked. Behind him followed a group of doctors in white coats.

Then I was pushed away by him. I became a patient under his care.

I endured the severe pain in my stomach and asked, "You're not a doctor here, why are you taking charge?"

Julian said without changing his expression, "Will be in the future."

My heart was dead ashes, and I didn't speak again. At this time, Julian raised his hand and wiped my mouth with his fingers gloved in medical gloves. I felt something was wrong. Sure enough, Julian raised an eyebrow, "Fried chicken? Or barbecue?"

"Shut up."

The nurse beside me comforted me while saying, "Don't worry. Might need a gastroscopy. Do you want it directly or under general anesthesia? General anesthesia requires a family member's signature."

I was shocked. I fear nothing in heaven or on earth, but I am most afraid of injections and surgeries. Thinking of seeing others do gastroscopy before, such a thick tube shoved directly down the throat, I was scared to death. "General anesthesia, I want general anesthesia."

The nurse nodded, "Okay, where is your family member?"

I suddenly remembered that I am actually an orphan with no parents. When I was a senior in high school, my parents died in a car accident. I finished college relying on that little compensation and scholarships.

Where in this world do I have family members?

Julian glanced at me, then said to the nurse, "Go get the consent form. I am her family member. I'll sign."

I gave Julian a weird look, but the severe pain in my abdomen made me unable to speak at all.

One shot of anesthetic and I was unconscious. When I woke up, I was lying in a hospital bed, and a nurse was checking my IV. I swallowed my dry throat and asked, "Nurse sister, where is that Dr. Thorne?"

That nurse was the one who gave me the anesthesia. She looked down at me. "Dr. Thorne went back to his hospital. He can only come here for duty in two days."

My eyes were dizzy. "He agreed to transfer?"

The nurse held back a laugh and nodded. "Yes, after all, his family is here. Can he not transfer?"

I twitched my lips and denied, "I'm not his family."

The nurse looked unbelieving. "Then last night..."

Me, "Can you expect an abnormal person to say normal things?"

Nurse, "..."

Lying in bed waiting for the anesthesia to wear off, I suddenly remembered that I had to work today. I hurriedly turned on my phone and looked at the time displayed on it.

10:30 AM.

I lay back dejectedly, unlocked the phone, intending to explain to the manager.

But as soon as I opened it, ding ding ding, several messages came.

It was the manager's message box, three messages sent at 9 AM: "Old Liu! When did you get married?"

"Hid it deep enough."

"If you're not feeling well, I'll give you a week off. Remember to report on time next week, or your bonus will be gone."

Scrolling up further, it clearly recorded that someone took my phone and made dozens of calls in the middle of the night yesterday, the last one connecting for more than two minutes.

I could guess with my toes who did it, and could guess what Julian said.

In the afternoon, I slipped back home with the medicine prescribed by the hospital, vowing to eat healthy in the future, three meals a day on time.

Planned silently in my heart, then immediately broke the rule upon returning home, nestling on the sofa drinking takeout porridge while watching a drama.

Scrolled through my phone when bored.

In the work group, someone resigned. That person was Ryan.

Immediately after, Ryan sent me a message, "I'm leaving, Chloe. Hope you and Dr. Thorne can be happy."