Chapter 4

I watched the scene quietly, my heart throbbing slightly.

This was the first time I'd seen Alex like this.

It seemed he truly loved this girl who perfectly matched his ideal partner criteria.

I knew Bethany was deliberately trying to take the coat.

And I knew that as long as Bethany was around, no matter what clothes I looked at today, Alex would buy them for her at an inflated price.

So I didn't want to argue with them, nor did I want to watch their intimacy. I turned to leave.

But just then, the piercing fire alarm suddenly blared throughout the entire mall.

"Fire! Run!"

Thick smoke instantly filled the air. The crowd erupted into chaos, screams rising from all directions.

I was shoved by the crowd, unable to stand steady.

I looked up, only to see Alex instinctively shielding Bethany in his arms, running towards the emergency exit without a backward glance.

He didn't look at me, didn't even check if I was safe.

"Ah—!"

I was pushed to the ground, my elbow slammed hard against the marble floor, the pain so intense my vision blurred.

Before I could even get up, I was trampled several times by the panicking crowd.

A crisp "snap" came from my right wrist bone, the excruciating pain almost making me faint.

Even worse, I was pushed towards the escalator. Losing my balance, I tumbled down the moving stairs!

"Thud!"

The back of my head hit a step hard. Warm liquid trickled down my forehead, blurring my vision.

I curled up on the ground in agony, my ears filled with chaotic screams and footsteps, yet no one stopped to help me.

In a haze, I saw Alex holding Bethany, gently comforting her at the emergency exit.

She seemed to say something, and Alex shook his head, his voice clearly carrying over:

"I'm your boyfriend. Whether something happens to me or not, it has nothing to do with me. Now that I have you, I need to keep my distance from other girls."

With that, he scooped Bethany into his arms and left without looking back.

I watched their retreating figures, my vision gradually blurring.

My last thought before losing consciousness was that he hadn't lied.

He truly had never had any feelings for me.

When I woke up again, I found myself in the hospital.

I lay in the hospital bed, my left arm in a cast, my right arm hooked up to an IV.

The chaos at the mall had resulted in a broken right hand, a mild concussion, and multiple soft tissue contusions.

The doctor said I needed at least two weeks of rest.

My phone screen suddenly lit up; it was an update from Alex's Ins.

Before this, his Ins profile was blank, even his profile picture was the default gray.

But ever since he got together with Bethany, he'd changed to a pink couple's profile picture.

The background was Bethany's selfie, and his feed was updating like crazy.

The latest post, from ten minutes ago:

"Peeling shrimp for my darling, she complained I was too slow [pouting emoji]"

The picture showed Bethany pouting, a plate full of peeled shrimp on the table. The comment section exploded:

"OMG, is this Alex? Did he get possessed?"

"Remember how the campus belle brought you breakfast for a month, and you didn't even remember her name? Now you're peeling shrimp?"

"Turns out he wasn't aloof, he just hadn't met the right person!"

Alex replied uniformly:

"Only for her."

My finger hovered above the screen. In the end, I didn't tap 'like'.

I quietly exited Ins and locked my phone.

***

**截断点**

Three days later, I was ready to be discharged.

The sunlight outside the window was bright, shining on the pristine white sheets, making my eyes sting.

The nurse pushed the door open:

"Ms. Alice, your discharge procedures are complete."

I nodded, slowly propping myself up.

My right hand was still weak, so I clumsily used my left hand to pack my things.

Just as I reached the hallway, I heard a commotion.

Alex rushed in, carrying a blood-soaked Bethany, followed by a group of medical staff.

"Save her!"

Alex's voice was hoarse and unrecognizable,

"Quick, save her!"

I'd never seen Alex like this.

His white shirt was stained red with blood, a cut on his forehead was still seeping, and his eyes were bloodshot.

He was frantic, vulnerable, hysterical…

Clutching Bethany tightly, as if holding the most precious treasure in the world.