In terms of playing mind games, Mandy was still wet behind the ears. She was totally naive and
inexperienced.
Her heart racing, Mandy slowly lowered her head. She was afraid to look at Nathan.
She felt so embarrassed that he had seen through her mind. She was on pins and needles as she
mused, 'Was he a mind reader?'
After a long silence, she heard Nathan speak with a straight face. "Tell me the time and location."
"Starbucks, Crystal Street, Eaton Square. I originally planned to go there after work tomorrow night." In
one breath, Mandy had calmly told him the truth, silently thanking herself that she had managed to
calm her nerves down. Her voice didn't crack nor show a sign of nervousness.
"Whew! Starbucks! It's full of fun!" Nathan said aloud as he cast a sideways glance at Mandy. He
noticed the guilty look on her face as he scrutinized her.
Mandy remained silent. She was a proud woman, and she never did like swallowing her pride before.
But now, for the sake of her family, she stooped so low and became Nathan's mistress. 'For her, going
through these 30 days would be as easy as ABC, ' she had initially thought. But now, she felt like she
had miscalculated everything.
"Mandy, you should behave yourself! As my woman, you should know what you should do and
shouldn't do, understand?" Nathan reprimanded. He outwardly looked calm, but she could discern a
hint of warning in his cold cheek.
Being such a calm and composed man, Nathan was good at putting a person to death by his mere
silence. Hearing the way Nathan spoke, Mandy trembled slightly. Though the room's temperature was
not low, she felt a chill ran down her spine with what Nathan had said.
"I know," Mandy replied obediently as her soft red lips moved slightly. She wished she could take his
words with a grain of salt, but she wouldn't dare.
She had gotten herself into quite a predicament. She had promised Madeline that she would go on with
the blind date, but now she was having a change of heart. At the thought of Madeline's nagging, Mandy
furrowed her brows deeply.
When Nathan's dark and ferocious eyes finally fell on her, he suddenly laughed wildly and
presumptuously.
It would have been alright if Nathan hadn't roared in laughter. But hearing him laughing in that way,
Mandy became even more restless. Her heart was pounding hard in her chest.
"Okay, I'll give you half an hour to go on that blind date, then you must go home immediately!" Nathan
ordered before he snickered, pretending to be considerate towards her. At the drop of a hat, he
seemed to be very sympathetic.
Ever since Mandy got to know him, she realized that her ability to withstand pressure had become
stronger and stronger. There were times Nathan behaved like a psychopath and sometimes behaved
like a real gentleman. His mood as a whole fluctuated greatly. And these were the times Mandy felt that
she was almost unable to stand it. But she believed that every cloud had a silver lining, so she braced
herself for the worst to come.
"No… I'd better not go there," Mandy was having second thoughts as a hint of hesitation flashed
through her eyes. She was terrified that Nathan would make trouble for her again, so she decided not
to go.
Nathan watched her closely. His intent gaze traveled up and down, assessing her. He saw the fear in
her eyes and the struggle in her heart, yet his instinct told him that Mandy didn't lie, so he was very
relieved. The idea of Mandy seeing other men didn't sit well with him, but knowing her mother would be
needing an explanation, Nathan finally relented. "What are you afraid of? I let you go this time. Do you
understand?"
Nathan didn't worry that Mandy would choose someone else over him. After all, no one in the world
was more handsome and rich than him.
"I know… I understand," Mandy responded in a trembling voice, barely over a whisper.
As the sun rose the following morning, Mandy was not herself that day. Though the sky was clear,
promising a good day ahead, for her, it only meant another day that would make her feel like she was
going to collapse any minute. Maybe she was feeling overwhelmed and exhausted.
Half an hour later, Mandy was already making her rounds with her patients in JR Hospital.
Luke, who had stayed in the hospital for some time, was scheduled to be discharged today. So after
Mandy had reviewed all his medications, she went to re-examine him for the last time.
She then authorized Luke's discharge order, noting he was recovering well, and it was not a bad thing
to release him from the hospital. She didn't know when, but he had shown her a sense of strong
personal affinity, which she hadn't felt for a long time. But she still felt that he was not a simple man.
Although she didn't talk much with him, she couldn't shake off the awkward feeling inside her, knowing
he was Nathan's uncle.
"Director Zhou, thank you for taking care of me these days. When I am fully recovered, I will come to
the hospital to visit you!" Luke said gently. He was lying on the bed, with a warm smile on his face,
looking much better than before.
"Mr. Shi, you are welcome. It's my duty. I will be happy as long as you are healthy," Mandy replied as
she smiled sweetly. She knew her stress would be relieved a little after Luke's discharge.
She had been living a dreadful life these days. Most of the time, she was scared to the extent of being
paranoid that Nathan would come to the hospital to kill Luke if he felt unhappy. And she had exerted a
lot of effort into pulling Luke back from the jaws of death.
"Nice to meet you again, Dr. Zhou!" Damian greeted as he patted Mandy's shoulder gently, which
startled Mandy.
"Oh, my God… It's Mr. Shi," Mandy exclaimed as she frowned a little. She was a little bit disgusted with
people who walked without making any sound. It was quite terrible.
"I am here to pick my father up and get him out of the hospital," Damian explained as he beamed at her
gently, like the sun, giving her a sense of comfort.
"Okay, then get your stuff ready. I have to prepare for a surgery scheduled today. I have to go," Mandy
smiled as she turned around, ready to leave.
"Doctor Zhou, would you honor me by having dinner with me this weekend? I have something to tell
you," Damian asked in a rather straightforward invitation, believing that Mandy would not refuse.
But Mandy's response completely surprised him!
"I'm sorry, Mr. Shi. I have been busy with my dissertation recently, and I'm afraid I don't have time,"
Mandy flatly refused, thinking she was no fool. Nathan was already giving her a headache. And what's
more, she had to go to the No. 1 High School on Saturday. She was still worried sick about Fiona's
troubles.
"Doctor Zhou, this is the second time you have refused me, and you even said it in front of my father.
You seriously show no regard for my sensitivities!" Damian retorted. There was an unhappy expression
on his face. He looked very masculine with the way he frowned.
"Doctor Zhou, you should not let him down easy. Please give him a nod this time," Luke urged. He
thought that Mandy was a perfect pawn, so he was making a peg to hang his plan on.
As a saying goes, nothing in excess!
Mandy recalled that it was the second time that Damian had invited her to dinner. Though she was too
embarrassed to refuse him again, she seemed to reconsider what Luke had said, causing her to waver.
"Okay, I will tell you the specific time to go there then," she replied after a while and didn't say anything
more. Nathan had promised her that he would let her go home once a week. But the allowed time for
her to go home was unusually precious to her. She didn't want to waste it. However, she couldn't turn
down Luke and his son's warm welcome.
Mandy was very busy that day. At half-past four in the afternoon, she finished the last operation.
After her work, she was now preparing herself for the blind date. Mandy had no idea who the person
was because she hadn't seen his picture yet. But to leave an unfavorable impression on him, she
deliberately wore some hideous makeup.
She was used to wearing no make-up because she had never been fond of getting dolled up. But now
she needed to put it on for this blind date.
There was a tinge of sadness within her. If it weren't for Nathan, she might not deliberately have to
make herself ugly.
Her phone began ringing, snapping her back to her senses. Grabbing her phone, Mandy quickly
answered it as she drew freckles on her face.
62fb1bb41dcb31934bd49bda