Help! My One-Night Stand Is Examining Me?!

Chapter 129: Chapter 129 Right back in

When the vase ran out of space, Alana put them in a bucket.

She made sure every single one was taken care of, so none would go to waste. Still, ninety-nine roses were just too much trouble to manage.

Next time, she shouldn’t let him send her that many.

Otherwise, it’d take too much of her time.

Still, once everything was set up, seeing the room filled with roses and breathing in their refreshing fragrance was enough to lift her spirits.

But because she had gone to bed late, she was woken up by the alarm early in the morning, her head feeling heavy and clearly sleep-deprived.

She grabbed her phone, turned off the alarm, and just then saw that Luca had sent her a message.

Luca:[Lana, I left for a business trip this morning. I’m not sure how long I’ll be gone, so I’m counting on you and your boyfriend to take care of my two pets.]

Alana swallowed.

It was a bit sudden.

Little did she know that after giving Eve a piece of his mind last night, Luca had packed his bags in the middle of the night and left on a business trip.

His confession had been rejected, and the girl he liked was already taken, there was no point in staying any longer.

If he couldn’t make it work in love, he had to at least make it work in his career!

So he made a snap decision and rushed off on a business trip!

Alana replied.

Alana: [Okay, Luca, go ahead and leave with peace of mind. I’ll take good care of your two pets]

She had originally thought it would be awkward to run into Luca in the future, but

now that he was away on a business trip and there was no chance of them meeting, the awkwardness was gone.

After replying, she exited the chat with Luca and, for some reason, clicked into the chat with Stephan.

Their chat history was still from yesterday.

So, should she... send him a “Good morning”?

But then she remembered something, her eyes darkening slightly, and she silently put her phone down.

Suddenly, the screen lit up.

Alana instinctively picked up her phone to look.

[Good morning, girlfriend.]

It was from Stephan.

Alana’s cheeks flushed.

He was getting more and more comfortable calling her “girlfriend.”

And yet, she didn’t mind it at all.

Suddenly, she realized that in their current situation, aside from the fact that she hadn’t explicitly agreed to be his girlfriend, they’d already done everything a couple would normally do.

Alana thought for a moment, then replied, “Good morning.”

Stephan’s had just woken up and finished his workout. Thinking back to how preoccupied Alana had looked last night, he couldn’t resist sending her a message to test the waters.

After all, the bird that took the bait got the worm.

Seeing that Alana had replied, he couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

If his little bunny was still willing to acknowledge him, things couldn’t be too serious.

He raised an eyebrow and shot her another text.

Stephan: [Miss me?]

Alana: [No.]

He snorted. He didn’t believe her!

Anyway, if it wasn’t what he wanted to hear, he wouldn’t believe it.

As if something occurred to him, he typed another message.

Stephan: I just wanted to let my girlfriend know that I’m going on a two-day business trip. I’ll be gone for two days, remember to miss me.]

A ripple of emotion stirred within Alana, and her eyes and brows curved into a smile

involuntarily.

After a moment’s thought, since he was away on a business trip, she decided to let her guard down.

[Okay.]

Seeing that single word, “Okay,” the man’s lips curled into a pleased smile.

He actually believed that.

Stephan: [While I’m away, don’t go sneaking around with other men behind my back, especially that fucking Luca.]

Alana blinked her beautiful almond-shaped eyes. Luca was away on a business trip, how could he still be hitting on her?

Still, she obediently replied.

[Okay.]

Stephan snorted with a laugh, unable to hold back any longer, and muttered a

complaint.

Stephan: [You’re acting like a bot.]

Alana gasped.

Bot?

Did he mean robot?

No, she heard of bots before.

Now she wanted to know the specific meaning.

So Alana silently went online and looked it up on google.

“Human-machine" originally referred to a gaming term for non-player characters (NPCs) controlled by computer programs. It later evolved into internet slang used to describe people whose behavior is rigid, socially dismissive, or lacking in human warmth. The specific meaning depends on the context.

So, does Stephan think she was being dismissive and lacking in warmth?

After a moment of silence, she found a cute, adorable bunny meme and sent it to him. This way, she wouldn’t seem like a “bot,” right?

Just as she sent it, the man sent an emoji back.

It was a lecherous-looking cute bunny hugging another adorable bunny and nibbling on it.

Alana blushed.

Why were his stickers just as raunchy as he was?

Alana had arranged to meet Eve that afternoon. Because of what happened with Luca yesterday, Eve needed to explain everything to her properly.

They agreed to meet at a local restaurant.

Alana arrived first and ordered a dual-flavor hot pot, one with a tomato broth and the other with a spicy broth. Alana couldn’t handle spicy food very well.

Unlike Eve, who couldn’t live without it.

By the time the hot pot and the side dishes they’d ordered were brought to the table, the long-awaited Eve had finally arrived.

Alana had intended to ask right away, but when she saw Eve looking listless with dark circles under her eyes, she couldn’t help but ask about her condition first.

“Eve, why do you look so pale?”

Eve plopped down across from Alana and sighed deeply. “I didn’t sleep a wink last night. How can I not look bad?”

Alana looked puzzled. “Huh? Why didn’t you sleep all night?”

“I can’t explain it to someone like you. You won’t understand.”

What was that supposed to mean?

She’s piqued my curiosity, but she won’t explain it to me. Bad move!

Eve had just gotten out of bed and rushed straight over to meet Alana.

By now, she was so hungry she could have eaten a whole cow.

Seeing that the broth was simmering, she picked up her chopsticks and started loading her plate with food.

As soon as the food was cooked, she scooped it out, dipped it in sauce, and devoured it, voraciously.

She was eating like a beggar who hadn’t eaten in days.

Alana couldn’t help but say, “Slow down, I’m not going to fight you for it.”

Eve stuffed a mouthful of beef into her mouth, her cheeks puffed out like a

hamster’s.

“Lana...why did...you...ask me to come out again? I...I...”

Eve was talking as she ate with speed and Alana couldn’t bear to watch. “Finish eating first.”

Talking while eating, especially so fast, she was genuinely afraid she’d choke.

“It’s fine...Don’t worry about me...Your business is more important... Go ahead...”

Alana took a deep breath and asked, “About Luca giving me roses and confessing his feelings to me, did you encourage him to do that?”

Eve was surprised. “How did you know?...Did you figure out my plan? My original plan was to get Luca to pursue you to rile up that creepy guy who’s been after you...If Luca could win you over, it wouldn’t be a bad thing for you two to be together. With Luca’s capabilities, he should be able to protect you from that guy’s harassment...”

Alana felt a headache coming on. Her best friend had really dug her into a huge hole. “Eve, didn’t I tell you I don’t have any feelings for Luca?”

“You told him to confess to me. If I turn him down, won’t that make things really awkward between us?”

“Lana, are you really not into Luca? He is a nice guy. He’s gentle and honest, definitely better than that creep who bullied you, disrespected you, and kept stalking you, right? I did it to save you!”

“As long as you’re with Luca and he’s protecting you, that guy won’t dare to harass you again!”

Alana pinched the bridge of her nose. Her intentions were good.

But...could she please just stop now?

Besides, Luca couldn’t give Stephan a hard time; instead, he was the one getting the short end of the stick.

She even felt that Luca had been driven to the brink of a nervous breakdown by that scheming, manipulative man, Stephan, it was rather pitiful.

“No, please don’t anything anymore. It’ll just make things even more complicated. Eve, I know you want to help me, but... this approach won’t work. Things between him and me are pretty complicated. It’s best not to let a third person get involved; otherwise, it’ll just make things even more complicated.”

“How can it get any more complicated? It’s just a matter of juggling two men. If you’re a little more calculating, you could even use Luca to test whether that guy’s feelings for you are real!”

“Do you think I’m some kind of heartless woman? Playing with two men’s feelings?”

“Hey, hey, hey, I’d rather you be a heartless woman than a love-struck fool...” She was still eating as she spoke.

Alana pursed her lips. “I’m perfectly clear-headed. I know exactly what I’m doing. I’m definitely not some love-struck fool.”

Hearing this, Eve stopped eating, “So what? What do you want to do?”

Alana paused for a moment, “I’ve already agreed to give him a chance. If he behaves well from now on, I might agree to date him.”

“Pfft...” Caught off guard, Eve spit out a mouthful of vegetables.

If she hadn’t dodged in time, she would have ruined the whole pot of soup.

She started to cough.

Alana jumped to her feet, walked over to Eve, and patted her on the back. “Oh my!”

“I told you not to talk while eating, but you just wouldn’t listen! Now look, it’s all over the place.”

It took Eve a long while to catch her breath.

Her eyes widened. “Wait a minute, I dragged you out of the wolf’s den with all my might, and you just jumped right back in?”