07
up
When I bum
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When I hung up the phone, Fiona on the other end seemed not to have reacted yet.
She stood there in a daze, the ring box falling from her hand with a thud.
But I knew.
She would be able to react.
And she would be able to adjust quickly.
She should have anticipated this day long ago, when she repeatedly mistreated me to protect Zack.
This time, Fiona’s matter didn’t affect me anymore. I put this phone call behind me and threw myself wholeheartedly into my
research.
Perhaps realizing that I was determined to break up, Fiona no longer tried to win me back.
She began to travel and show affection with Zack openly, broadcasting their sweet moments on social media.
We were like two parallel storylines in a TV drama.
While they were celebrating winning a project over a candlelit dinner, I was testing software programs in the lab.
As they were shopping and checking in at trendy restaurants, I was wrestling with a stubborn bug.
When they were entertaining clients, getting drunk, and announcing their relationship on social media to everyone’s congratulations, I had a sudden inspiration and found a new approach to my problem.
A month later, our hard work paid off. We finally overcame the challenge of autonomous bipedal robots maintaining balance in dynamic environments – a problem that had plagued the field for years.
Although the high cost remained a major hurdle, technological progress is always slow but profound.
No one knows what the future holds.
But everyone was overjoyed at today’s success, celebrating enthusiastically.
That evening, my advisor was in high spirits and specially booked a five–star hotel to celebrate this breakthrough.
After several rounds of drinks, his face flushed red as he held my hand, lamenting repeatedly. He regretted that I had left so hastily before; if I had joined them, this difficulty might have been overcome two years ago.
He pulled me over, declaring in front of my juniors and seniors that I was his most outstanding student.
I felt a bit embarrassed.
At the same time, I did indeed feel regret for myself. Those five years should have been my prime time to shine, but instead, it all came to nothing.
But it’s not too late now.
After the ath—t
After the gathering ended, we all went home.
However, when I reached the yard of my rented house, I saw a familiar figure.
I thought I was hallucinating from drinking too much, so I rubbed my eyes. But Fiona saw me first and quickly walked towards me with unsteady steps.
As she got closer, I smelled the strong scent of alcohol on her.
It seemed she had drunk a lot.
I frowned slightly, watching as she stopped about a meter away from me.
“You seem to have gained some weight,” she said.
How strange.
She never used to pay attention to me before.
In the light from the street lamp, I saw that her eyes were slightly red.
I smiled.
“No worries, good food and good sleep naturally lead to some weight gain.”
I used to be quite thin, standing at 6 feet but weighing just over 130 pounds.
Having to take care of Fiona every day and brooding over her favoritism towards other men, I couldn’t eat well. Over time, I developed mild anorexia.
it wasn’t until I came abroad and recovered over a long period that I returned to a normal weight.
“Why have you come here again?” I asked calmly, looking at her as if she were a stranger.
Fiona seemed to sense this too. She bit her lip and said, “Lucas, Zack and I have broken up.”
“I’ve thought it over. I’m willing to give up everything and come abroad with you.”
