Title: My parents wanted me to come home with a boyfriend, so I spent a lot of money renting a fake boyfriend. Who would have thought he turned out to be a rich heir? To my surprise, my visiting cousin actually tried to steal him away and even pointed it out in front of my parents.
"If you still can't bring a boyfriend home for this Christmas, then don't bother coming back!" My mom's voice blared from the phone.
I let out a sigh and gulped down the alcohol in my glass.
Looking at the brightly lit and bustling dance floor in front of me, I staggered into it.
When I woke up the next morning, I found myself lying on a soft, white bed, and beside me was a completely naked man.
Before I could fully come to my senses, my phone rang with an incoming call. Without hesitation, I answered it almost instinctively.
A split second later, a voice almost bellowed from the other end of the phone, "Ava! What on earth are you two doing!"
I immediately sobered up and realized that it was a video call from my dad.
My dad, who doted on me, had always cherished me dearly since I was a child. He was also extremely strict in supervising my relationships with the opposite sex.
Before I turned eighteen, there was a strict curfew at home. I was allowed to wear pants instead of skirts. And if I did wear a skirt, it had to be knee-length. Crop tops and short shorts were completely off-limits and couldn't even be seen by my dad.
When I was younger, I used to argue with my dad about these things, complaining that he was too meddling.
Did it work? Not at all.
My dad would look at me with teary eyes, saying, "Honey, Daddy loves you. You never know what ulterior motives those people outside might have."
I always thought he could compete for an Oscar for Best Actor.
Now, with an angry look on his face, he said, "I'll give you two ten minutes to straighten this out and give me a reasonable explanation."
The strange man beside me also seemed at a loss in the face of this situation.
"Hey, could you do me a favor?"
I fixed my pleading eyes on him.
But he seemed unaware of it, getting up to pick up his clothes.
"No."
They said men forgot everything once they'd had their fun, and that day I'd seen it for myself.
"Just help me out this time, and I'll treat you to a meal as a thank you, okay?"
He straightened his tie and said, "The cost of the room last night is equivalent to two meals at a Michelin-starred restaurant."
"How could you have been so heartless? As the saying went, only a man and a woman who were fated to be together were likely to end up in the same bed. We're somewhat fated to meet like this. Can't you do me a small favor even if it's just a little effort for you?" I grabbed his arm angrily. "Didn't we have a pleasant night together after all?"
He pulled my hand away, his lips parting slightly. "I think you had a better time last night..."
My face turned red in an instant. This guy really was out of the ordinary!
He picked up the black windbreaker from the sofa.
"I'll cover the room cost!" Watching him walking farther and farther away and almost reaching the door, I gritted my teeth and summoned up my courage to shout out.
"No need." He put his hand on the doorknob, pressed it down, and turned it.
"Kevin Green!" The man halted his steps. I shook the ID card in my hand.
"Give it to me."
He reached out and walked towards me.
Ten minutes later, I gave him a brief introduction to my family, Derek Smith, male, 51 years old, a senior middle school teacher; Julie King, female, 46 years old, a middle-aged woman who loves chatting about daily life; Ava Smith, female, 25 years old, an unknown screenwriter.
With a tight schedule, I could only give a brief account of the situation.
Derek's video call came punctually as scheduled. I straightened myself up a bit and then pressed the answer button nervously.
I greeted stiffly, "Hi, Dad, long time no see."
My dad snorted, "Think carefully before you speak!"
"This is my boyfriend, Kevin."
Kevin kept silent.
I nudged the wooden guy beside me with my elbow.
"Hello."
"Boyfriend? When did you get a boyfriend?"
I quickly added, "We met through work. He's been really good to me..."
"Did I ask you to speak?" Derek pointed at Kevin. "Let him talk."
Kevin raised an eyebrow. "We met over drinks."
"Work! A work-related gathering. He helped me with the drinks, and that's how I started liking him." I smiled awkwardly.
"And how long have you known each other?" My dad's face was unreadable.
"One..." I pinched him hard under the table.
"Over a year..." Kevin managed to say, swallowing down the pain.
"Ava!" My dad shouted my name angrily.
"Don't play any tricks on me. I don't want to guess whether what you two say is true or false. Bring him home by the end of the year!"
At that moment, my mom suddenly showed up on the screen and gave my dad's back a pat. "Why are you shouting so loudly? You'll scare Ava!"
Seeing my mom was like seeing a savior to me.
To my surprise, when she saw Kevin, her eyes lit up at once. "Such a handsome young man! Where do you live?"
In my astonished gaze, Kevin cleared his throat slightly. "I'm a local."
"Local is good. How old are you?"
"Twenty-seven."
I was left dumbfounded, watching my mom's starry-eyed look, completely ignoring my dad's displeased face beside her.
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