Cross Roads

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Stephanie stared blankly at the girl, who was about seven years old, talking earnestly about orphanage life and

selling flowers to make money. Stephanie thought the girl’s smile seemed truly content at that moment.

Almost instinctively, she reached out and wiped the dirt off the little girl's cheek, thinking such a precious little

life deserved

better.

Stephanie bought a basket of roses from the little girl, who insisted on only accepting 40 dollars before happily

running off

to find her brother.

Meanwhile, Stephanie, carrying the basket of roses, took a cab back to her room, 402. The sight of the beautiful

roses lifted her spirits a bit, easing her previously melancholic mood.

She casually turned on the TV, and the sound from it made the cold house feel a little less empty.

Stephanie didn’t pay much attention to what was on the TV at first. She was busy arranging the roses. But when

she heard at news segment mentioning the Innovate Group, she looked up at the screen.

The voice on the TV continued, “The Innovate Group's spokesperson has promised that this year, the company’s

charity fund will significantly support orphanages, especially in education and healthcare

Stephanie watched the news, frowned, and wondered why the Innovate Group suddenly had a strong interest in

child welfare funding.

She then instinctively looked up at the ceiling, toward 502, the apartment above hers. Stephanie rarely paid

attention to the Innovate Group's affairs. Perhaps the company had been funding such initiatives for a long time,

and she was overthinking

iL

Stephanie placed the basket of roses in the center of the coffee table. The roses, with their vibrant red petals,

were blooming

beautifully, contrasting with a single wilted rose nearby, tied with a pale pink bow identical to those in the basket

She stared at the roses and began to get lost in thoughts. It wasn’t until Stephanie’s stomach rumbled that she

realized the hadn't eaten all day.

Stephanie picked up her phone to order takeout, but when she saw a wide variety of Christmas meals on the

app, she didn’t

know what to choose.

She felt that no matter how fancy the takeout was, she'd lose interest after eating too much. After sthought,

she tossed the phone onto the sofa and headed to the kitchen to cook something herself.

Stephanie prepared the ingredients and used the electric pressure cooker to make plain soup. It was so easy that

even someone as hopeless in the kitchen as her could manage it. While others were enjoying grand Christmas

feasts, she was sipping plain soup, which felt a bit pitiful

However, the soup was warm, and even though it was plain and tasteless, she could finish it. People called

Stephanie picky. but she didn’t think she was that hard to please. They just weren't doing it right.

Stephanie then remembered the last tOscar cover and made clam chowder for her. As if by skind

of telepathy. her phone on the couch beeped just as she ladled the soup. Oscar had sent her a WhatsApp

message. It was simple a text that read: [Merry Christmas, Babe]

Stephanie was taken aback by the message, staring at it for a while before starting to think deeply.

After about three minutes, she put down the ladle with a suppressed and complex expression and video called

Oscar on WhatsApp. Stephanie waited anxiously for him to accept, but he declined the call.

Stephanie pressed her lips together, feeling a mix of frustration and anger, Just as she was about to keep

pressing the video) call button until Oscar answered, he seemed to understand her well and called her directly.

“Babe,” Oscar greeted her as usual, but today his clear voice sounded a bit hoarse

a 0 q

Stephanie's feelings were a tangled

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mess, and she didn't notice the

change in his voice Sige)gritted her

teeth, Ald Bak her erupting

3 “

emotions, and suddenly asked. “Are

you not going to givea Christmas

” :

present?” The content is on

novelenglish.net! Read the latest

chapter there!

Oscar was silent for a moment on the other end of the phone, seemingly surprised by her sudden request for a

gift. The fact that she could ask for a present so naturally was just part of his Babe's personality.

I ” .

What do you want?” he asked with a

casual, gentle tone, unlike the intense

promises others might make Buh

SEpre kpevettiatmater what

gift She ‘asked for, Oscar would go

out of his way to get it for her. Oscar

was that kind of serene yet extreme

person, an extraordinary and

incredibly intelligent man. The

content is on novelenglish.net! Read

the latest chapter there!

Holding her phone tightly. Stephanie’s voice trembled with urgency and impatience. “Little Pillar, you know what

I want.” She then waited for Oscar to answer.

Oscar, on the other end of the phone, broke the moment, apparently unable to hold it in, and sneezed. Then, he

said in a raspy voice, “Sorry.”

Stephanie didn’t understand what he was apologizing for and was about to press him further when he, on the

other end, sneezed several more times.

Oscar wasn't faking it because he never faked anything. He was really sick.

Stephanie asked. “Do you have a fever?”

“A slight fever, Oscar replied.

Stephanie continued. “Co take a digital thermometer and check what's your temperature now.”

After a while, she heard sounds of Oscar rummaging around, and then he honestly told her, “101 degrees

Fahrenheit”

Pe

Stephanie's tone becurgent at

q « q q

his words. “How did you get sick?

Have you forgottepwyigen you hada

fevenoler GoY Segrees Fahrenheit as

a kid? Go eat something now, take

sfever medicine, and rest in your

» :

bedroom.” The content is on

novelenglish.net! Read the latest

chapter there!

x

“Okay,” Oscar responded somewhat sluggishly, but his voice sounded particularly compliant.