Only you in my love

Michelle recalled that night with a shudder. She had seen Tim lying unconscious in the shadows of BL Alley three years ago. He had reeked of the metallic smell of blood, with blood caked all over his face.

Over the course of her life, Michelle had helped many people despite it backfiring on her. When she tried saving wounded animals, they'd hiss at and bite her. When she tried helping an old lady who had tripped and fallen, she had tried to blackmail her. She had helped classmates by letting them copy her homework, but she'd get in trouble with the teachers. Yet all of these instances paled in comparison to the time she saved Tim.

It had taken her a while to calm down.

Back then, she hadn't known if she saved a good guy or a bad guy.

Although saving a life should've been a good thing, she figured that if she saved an unpardonable villain, there would be terrible repercussions.

The thought that the bad guy would come back and kill her to silence her had been on the back of her mind. Thinking back to all those times she helped people and reaped bad consequences, she worried most that her parents would get caught in the cross fire. What if her parents were in trouble, too?

She had been anxious and stressed for a long time, worried that the bad guy would come back and unleash hell on her and her family.

After all, there were many cases in which someone saved a dying person, only to be killed later.

One time, the news told of a woman who saved a man out of the goodness of her heart. However, the man turned out to be a cold-hearted criminal wanted by the police. Worried that the woman would tell others about his whereabouts, he killed her and her family before making his escape.

The man regretted after being arrested by the police, but it was useless. No one could come back to life after death.

Tim had been beaten to a pulp and been covered in blood. The people searching for him didn't look like good guys. Michelle had been frightened out of her wits.

She had regretted helping him.

That was why she had run away without turning back.

And that was when Vivian had swooped in, pretending to be Tim's savior. In return, she had had him do a lot of illegal things for her.

Michelle looked at Tim wordlessly. He might've looked fierce when he wasn't smiling, but overall, not only did she feel that he wasn't a bad egg, she also saw the pitiful loneliness in his eyes.

"Fortunately, you turned out to be a good man." Michelle heaved a sigh of relief.

Now that she knew the person she had saved turned out to be a good guy, she was relieved.

"A good man'?" Tim smiled sardonically. He didn't agree with what Michelle called him.

But she just smiled at him and nodded enthusiastically.

Elaine seemed to remember something. She asked Michelle, "Did it happen when you went to your aunt's house?"

Michelle tilted her head, trying hard to recall. "I'm not sure. Maybe."

"It's been four years, right? Or maybe three. But the point is, I remember you were so shaken when you came back from your aunt's house. Every time you heard a loud or sudden noise, you'd get so scared." Elaine shook her head at the bad memory. "Your aunt said you might've seen something dirty in BL Alley..."

She trailed off

and looked at Tim apologetically. "I don't mean to offend you."

"Don't worry about it." Tim then looked at Michelle in confusion. "Did I scare you?"

Michelle said frankly, "Yes, a bit."

"I'm sorry." Tim plucked a piece of braised pork ribs with his chopsticks and placed it into her bowl. "Also, thank you."

Adams, who was well on his way to being drunk, gave his daughter a thumbs-up sign and said, "Well done, my brave girl. Saving people is good. But you should tell us when you're scared. Why didn't you say anything?"

He cast a reproachful glance at his daughter.

Michelle giggled softly. "I'm a grown up now, Dad!"

"Even if you're an adult, you're still our child." It was obvious Adams was proud of her for her bravery, but at the same time, he was worried for her.

Michelle had a tendency to keep these sorts of things to herself, but Adams just wanted to protect her.

Knowing what her father meant, Michelle gave him a warm smile. "Yes, yes, I'll always be your baby girl. I promise I'll tell you what I'm going through in the future, no matter what it is."

As she spoke, she filled each of their glasses and then raised her own. "Happy New Year's Eve!"

They clinked their glasses and cheered.

Tim glanced around the room. He saw the hearty dinner laid out on the table. He heard the crisp sound of glasses clinking. He saw the cheerful faces around the dinner table. Slowly, the corners of his mouth tugging slightly upwards. After dinner, they all headed outside to set off the fireworks. Then, they went back inside and settled into the sofa to watch the Spring Festival Gala on TV.

Michelle's family had the habit of staying up late on New Year's Eve based on the Chinese tradition. They could only go to bed when the New Year arrived. However, Adams, who was so drunk, fell asleep on the sofa, his head resting on Elaine's shoulder.

Michelle smiled at this and said in a low voice, "Mom, Dad's asleep. Why don't you take him to bed? He'll be more comfortable there."

"It doesn't matter!" Adams suddenly sat bolt upright, although he struggled to peel open his eyes. Soon, he sank back into his seat and fell asleep again. Michelle snickered.

Elaine clucked her tongue and said, "Oh, just let him be." Then she picked up the remote control and turned down the volume of the TV, which was playing a sketch comedy.

Laid out on the coffee table were bowls of fruits and sunflower seeds. Michelle reached out to grab a handful of sunflower seeds, chewing on them as fireworks went off in bright colors outside the window.

The atmosphere of the New Year's Eve was cheerful and lively. Tim found himself enjoying it immensely. It was the first time he ever watched the Spring Festival Gala with some semblance of interest.

From time to time, he would turn his head slightly to glance at Michelle subtly She was chewing on sunflower seeds, playing on her phone, and watching the Spring Festival Gala-all at the same time. Apparently, she was quite skilled at multi-tasking.

'Happy New Year's Eve, 'Tim thought to himself happily.

As far as he could remember, this was the most ordinary New Year's Eve he'd ever celebrated, yet also the warmest and happiest one.

Just then, Michelle's phone buzzed. She glanced at the screen and saw that Austin sent her a message. She immediately tossed the sunflower seeds in her other hand and put all her attention on her phone. Yesterday, after shopping, she had sent him a message, but he must've been busy with New Year's preparations because he didn't reply to her.

Now, he finally replied.

Yesterday, Michelle had texted, "Austin, can I ask what your relationship is with that girl we met a while ago?"

Austin replied, "Why? What's up?"

Michelle replied, "Nothing, I'm just curious and want to know."

"She's my cousin. Who made you ask me?"

Michelle's eyes widened with shock when she read the last sentence. "No asked. I was just curious."

As long as they weren't talking face to face, she found it easy to lie.

Austin simply replied, "Oh."

'Why does he sound disappointed?' Michelle asked herself. Thinking about the long message she was about to send to Lydia yesterday, she heaved a sigh of relief. "Good thing I didn't tell her anything," she murmured. She sent Austin another message. "Oh, I see. Can I ask you one more question? Do you have a crush on anyone?"

Austin asked again, "Who asked you to ask me?"

Michelle typed the words "No one", but before she could send it, another message popped up.

"Don't tell me no one's asking you to ask me, because I don't believe you."

'How does he know? I can't say it's Lydia, or else she'll be embarrassed.' Michelle pursed her lips, trying to come up with a reply.

"Well, I have a friend who likes you, so she wants to ask if you like someone already."

Austin replied, "Please tell your friend that I already have a girlfriend."

"Does that mean the person you like is your girlfriend?"

After sending this message, Michelle suddenly became a little nervous. She sat up straight and held her breath, as though she was waiting for the result of a trial.

The next moment, a new message appeared in the dialog box.

It was a message with only three words and a period.☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐