Fight, Flight, or Freeze: The Healer's Story - Chapter 5: You Said It Was Important

“Block him.”“He's technically still my boss.”“Then block him with dignity.”The call ended again.And then started again.I let out a sound somewhere between a growl and a sob, then finally answered with the enthusiasm of a snail crawling through salt.“Yes, Mr. Walton?”“Have you changed your mind yet?”I collapsed onto the towel and gazed at the sky as though it might consume me entirely if I pleaded sweetly enough.“Do you ever take a break?” I asked, shielding my eyes with one hand.“You're avoiding the question.”“Because it's a dumb question.”He exhaled, the sound sharp and irritated even over phone. “It's not a dumb question. It's a business offer.”“It's a weird offer-one that I already said no to.”There was a brief pause, and I could practically hear him clenching his jaw through the speaker.“You are acting unreasonably.”“ Unreasonable?” I sat up. “I'm not the one drafting fake girlfriend contracts like it's a normal Tuesday.”“Isabella-”“Certainly not, Mr. Walton.” I mimicked his tone perfectly. “I told you I'm not doing it. You need to find someone else to play pretend with.”SYNOPSISIsabella Miller thought saying no to her boss’s fake dating offer was the end of the story.But Adrien Walton doesn’t take no—especially not when he’s convinced she’s a gold digger.Suddenly, her student loans are piling up, her father’s vet clinic is on the brink of eviction and her brother is about to be kicked out of college. Coincidence? She thinks not.Adrien Walton is calm, calculating—and he's just pulled every string to corner Isabella into the perfect position.Now she’s stuck choosing between pride and survival.So she agrees to his offer: be his fake girlfriend.No feelings attached. No drama. Just business.Or so she thought.“Conference Room B. Fifteen minutes,” he said, passing by without a glance.The folder he pushed across the table landed with a thud.I opened it. The contract. All of it.---Enemies to lovers? Check.Slow burn? Hmmnyea.Banter so sharp it might file your nails? Yes.Delicious workplace tension? Of course.Tension that could melt steel?Absolutely.Smut?? Wanna find out?Welcome to corporate romance warfare. There’s no escaping this contract.

Ancient existences wake up in the abyss, demons whisper in people’s ears, unknown horrors erode the spirit, and madness breeds in the darkness of people’s hearts.

But it is not only darkness that descends on this world.

There are heavily armed dark knights walking in the dark to judge crimes; tight-fitting supernatural beings wandering between buildings to act as friendly neighbors; The impossible god on earth, the “S” symbolizing hope shines like the sun on his chest…

No one could have imagined that behind all of them, there was just a player sitting in front of a computer screen holding a keyboard and punching hard.

- Description from novelbuddy

See you for the first time.
In front of the teaching building, fourteen-year-old Xu Can was sitting in front of the steps crying uncontrollably, when a voice suddenly came from overhead and asked, “What’s the matter with you?”
She was so frightened that she raised her eyes, and was amazed again.
With tears in his eyes, he sniffed and held it for a few seconds, not wanting to tell the truth, “Teacher, I… I didn’t do well in the exam.”
Tong Mingyue sat next to her and chatted with her.
The next day, Tong Mingyue passed by the school’s display board.
I saw that Xu Can, who spent a long time in teaching her classmates who didn’t do well in the exam, ranked first in the overall ranking list, and almost got a perfect score in every subject.
“…”

After working hard all his life, he was still unable to cope with the drag of his background. Before Xu Can was forced to jump off the building, he regretted that he could not see Tong Mingyue again.
When I opened my eyes again, the computer was lit up with a blank document.
Back to sophomore year.
Failed subjects, no money, there are still two professional exams in sight…
In this life, Xu Can walks without heart and heart, with eyes full of eyes, only Tong Mingyue.

Edible guide: 1. Sweetness ++++
2. Abstinence and gentle professor X lunatic attribute fake and well-behaved fairy

- Description from novelbuddy

The Halfling says: curiosity is power.The Dwarf says: unity is power.The Elf says: Magic is power.The Gnome says: creation is power.The Beastman says: slaughter is power.Humans say: authority is power.The Dragon always says: knowledge is power.The Gods once said: faith is power.Lynch stands on the terrace of the All-Knowing Tower, overlooking the Anriel Continent, and gently says:“I”, am power.