"Ugh!"
Matthew Fox clutched his mouth and rushed out of the KTV room, gasping as he stumbled toward the restroom.
Five bottles of beer. That was definitely pushing it.
It was his dorm leader's birthday, so the whole crew had gathered for a party. Originally, it was supposed to be just the four of them, but since everyone else brought their girlfriends along, it turned into a seven-person hangout.
It wasn't like Matthew couldn’t get a girlfriend.
He was 183 cm tall, good-looking, with sharp eyes that turned heads on campus wherever he went.
Girls had been lining up to chase him these past couple of years, but none of them stirred his heart.
Honestly, this party was a setup. His roommates were just using the birthday as an excuse to introduce him to someone.
And when he realized the girl they invited was about to arrive, he slipped out—fast.
It wasn’t that he didn’t like girls; it was just that there was already someone lodged deep in his heart, and she left no room for anyone else.
Everything started two years ago.
Back then, it was summer. The night after the college entrance exams.
"Matthew! Exams are over, come on, let’s go crazy!"
His classmates shouted at him.
"I... Not really free right now..." Matthew hesitated.
He kept glancing at the time. He had plans to meet someone that night—someone really important to him.
That "someone" was no ordinary girl. She used to be the campus goddess of Yunhai No.1 High, a year above him. Because she was so academically gifted, she skipped a grade and became a grad student at Yunhai University.
By some twist of fate, she became his pen pal. For three whole years of high school, they wrote to each other about everything, growing closer, becoming more than just friends.
Now that he had graduated and had nothing holding him back, they finally made plans to meet in person.
But then his classmates showed up, dragging him out to a graduation party.
Torn between friendship and the promise of a special meeting, Matthew hesitated.
In the end, he gave in and joined the party.
Later on, looking at his phone, he saw a message that hit like a punch to the gut: “I waited and waited… did you seriously ditch me?”
His heart sank.
They had built something deep over the years, and tonight was supposed to take their relationship to the next level.
But now...
Caught up in the party chaos and drink after drink forced on him, Matthew downed five beers in a row.
Then someone shouted about hitting up the KTV next.
Matthew used the excuse of "not being good at singing" to bail, rushing toward their meeting spot, hoping she might still be there.
And then—
"Get off me! No! Let go of me!"
That voice—wasn’t that... her!?
She was in trouble.
Matthew’s buzz vanished in an instant. He broke into a sprint toward the sound without thinking.
Two big guys were grabbing a woman with messy hair in the shadows.
You didn’t need to be a genius to know what was going down.
Without knowing where the courage came from, Matthew shouted, “Back off!”
He charged in, pushed the two thugs away, grabbed the girl’s hand, and booked it down the street.
They ran through three whole blocks before his legs gave out. Dizzy and gasping for air, Matthew collapsed, head landing right in her arms.
Through the fog in his head, he vaguely heard his name being called.
But his eyelids were too heavy to lift.
Like climbing endless stairs in a dream, he kept falling deeper and deeper...
It felt like he slept forever.
When he finally opened his eyes, a pair of big watery ones were staring straight at him.
Whoosh—
He shot upright in bed. “Uh... did we...?”
“Relax. I’m not asking you to take responsibility,” she said, cold and calm. “What happened is in the past. Let's not see each other again.”
She turned to leave.
Matthew sat there in stunned silence.
So... last night wasn’t a dream?He had actually spent an unforgettable night with his dream girl.
When his eyes landed on the glaring red stain on the sheets, Matthew Fox couldn’t hold back anymore.
“Laura Bennett!”
But she was already gone. All that remained was a faint trace of her scent in the air.
The empty room made his heart feel hollow. He clenched his fists, silently making a promise—he was going to find her, no matter what. Even if he couldn’t make things right, he had to take responsibility for what happened.
Carefully, he cut out the red flower-shaped stain and kept it. Not out of some weird obsession, but because it was the only thing that proved the night had even happened. He kept hoping that someday, they’d cross paths again.
Two years flew by just like that.
That night at the KTV, Matthew was already in a bad mood thanks to his roommates. They wouldn’t stop showing off their relationships in front of him and insisted on setting him up with someone.
Frustrated, he downed five bottles of beer and slipped out.
That night still haunted him—the way her bright, beautiful eyes had locked onto his.
“Bang!”
Huh?
Just as he stepped out the door, someone bumped into him—soft, light.
“Clatter—”
The bag in the woman’s hand hit the ground, spilling its contents. “Sorry!”
Several cans of baby formula rolled everywhere, and a pack of diapers burst open.
Wait, what?
Realizing the mess, Matthew hurried to pull out his wallet, offering the woman his last two hundred yuan.
And then, their eyes met—and his mind went blank, like lightning had struck.
“You... Laura Bennett, right?”
“You’ve got the wrong person…”
She scrambled to pick up the formula and diapers, clearly wanting to bolt.
Was this really the woman he’d thought about for two whole years?
Had she gotten married? Why the baby stuff? Was she a mom now?
How could someone change so much in just two years?
The cool, elegant woman from his memory was now pale and exhausted. She looked like she could fall asleep standing.
Could this really be the same person?
What had she gone through all this time?
Matthew’s thoughts were a mess, guilt crashing over him like a wave. If only he had stopped her back then, if only he hadn’t let her go…
Tears started trailing silently down Laura’s cheeks as she turned her back on him.
Her defenses crumbled in an instant. Two years' worth of pain and frustration finally spilled over. The strong mask she wore shattered.
Yeah... no matter how tough a woman acts, sometimes she just breaks.
“Laura! It really is you! I knew it!”
Matthew couldn’t hold back anymore. He grabbed her arm, as if afraid she’d vanish again.
Laura kept pulling away, torn inside. Part of her wanted to fall into his arms, finally share all the pain. Part of her wanted to keep hiding, not letting him see her like this.
Then suddenly, a robotic voice echoed in Matthew’s mind:
“Ding! Wife and Baby System initiating... Binding complete.”
“Please make a choice:
Option 1 – Acknowledge Laura Bennett. Enter ‘Wife and Baby’ mode and unlock success story.
Option 2 – Pretend not to know her. Activate ‘Scumbag Side Quest.’ Embrace the perm, girls galore await!”
“I choose option 1!” Matthew didn’t even hesitate.
“Great choice! You’ve selected the ‘Wife and Baby’ main quest.
First mission: Reconnect with your dream girl and meet your child.
Reward: 1 million yuan.”
