Chapter 3The Relationship Expert Insisted on Testing My Boyfriend

After she said that, she disappeared. I was so annoyed I wanted to throw my phone.

Looking up, I saw Adam, who had just received a message from someone, saying, “Zoe, I might be busy for a while. I’m heading out.” With that, he left in a hurry.

I watched him get into his car downstairs. A woman, whose face was hidden by Adam’s body, got into the passenger seat. She was also wearing a fitted black dress.

I sat in my original spot for a long time before remembering to go back to the office. When I returned, I saw the proposal that was due that afternoon still spread out on the table, unfinished.

“What’s going on with this proposal? I assigned it this morning; it’s still not done?”

I slammed the document on the table. Several subordinates bowed their heads, saying nothing. In the corner, a new intern was scrolling on her phone and chuckled.

“What are you laughing at?”

She looked up and turned her phone to show me. The screen displayed the relationship expert’s newly posted update. The post was gaining momentum, and everyone around had seen it.

“Manager Miranda, your own face has been utterly shredded by others, and you still come here to scold us?”

The few people next to her showed no sign of injustice; their eyes gleamed with barely contained amusement.

Just then, the door pushed open, and the boss walked in. Seeing the messy scene inside and the untouched proposal, he started yelling at me too.

I lowered my head, accepting the reprimand, not daring to utter a word. The intern behind me was still secretly taking photos, giggling. Finally, after the scolding, the boss pointed at me and roared, “Zoe Miranda, I’m warning you, your messy affairs have seriously damaged the company’s image. If you don’t clean it up within a week, you’re fired!”

He slammed the door shut. I began to reassign tasks. The subordinates, distracted, listened, then returned to their workstations. But during a break, I discovered they had already posted photos of me being scolded online, gathering in groups to mock me below.

When I finished work that evening, I dragged my tired body home, only to find the house plunged into darkness. When I finished work that evening, I dragged my tired body home.

I opened the door, and the room was completely dark. I switched on the light and saw a note pressed under a teacup on the coffee table.

“Zoe, I’m out on urgent business. Take good care of yourself. I’ll bring you a gift when I return.”

I pulled out my phone and called him, but it kept showing “temporarily unavailable.” WhatsApp messages went unread.

I sat on the sofa for a while, instinctively opening social media. Sure enough, the relationship expert’s homepage featured a new pinned post.

“Invited by a certain gentleman for a few days’ travel, I will live-stream the assessment results to all my sisters then.”

Above was her selfie and a plane ticket. Below, netizens went wild upon hearing about the live stream, and even after seeing that payment was required, a crowd still expressed willingness to pay to watch the drama unfold.

A group of people stormed my account, asking if I was breaking up. I reaffirmed my stance and sternly told the expert, “I know what kind of person my boyfriend is. I hope you stop bothering us; this is for your own good.”

But this time, unlike the usual mockery, many people started sympathizing with me, digging up all my posts and comments to analyze my psychological state. Some said I was love-starved since childhood, which was why I was so desperate for male attention, urging everyone to cherish their daughters. Others said I was just stubborn, putting on a brave face, too proud to admit defeat.

I couldn’t be bothered to argue with them, so I exited the app. Just then, I received a friend request from a stranger. As soon as I accepted, she immediately sent me a photo of Adam and a location.

“He’s here.”