Chapter 1

When I got back home, it was already 9 p.m.

The moment Vivian saw me enter through the door, she scowled and asked, "Why didn't you reply to the message? If you really want me to pay for your follow-up, hand me the receipt, but I will only pay for half of it."

Impatience was etched on her face. "Don't just tell me that you're hurting and make me guess what you're trying to say."

When John asked her for 3,000,000 dollars, it was just a reunion joke to her, but the moment I said that I was hurting, she suspected me of having an ulterior motive.

I tightened my grip on the follow-up report and whispered, "I wasn't thinking about letting you pay. After spending an entire day at the hospital, I had seven tubes of blood drawn taken and waited for four hours.

"The doctor said that an aneurysm had developed at the site of the old injury and was at risk of rupturing."

Vivian stayed silent for a few seconds, and she scowled even harder. "Plenty of people come in for follow-up appointments. Don't they all go through the same thing? Didn't you say that you wouldn't need to rely on a woman?

"Why are you insisting on expecting everyone to revolve around you just because of an old wound?"

I stared at her in a daze.

Six years ago, when John took all of her savings, she could not afford to pay for even a bowl of noodles.

During our first date, I was worried about wounding her pride and suggested splitting the bill.

During the winter when we were at our poorest, I was burning up with fever, but I still transferred my half of the rent to her on time.

Back then, Vivian had held my hand tightly and promised, "Once I have money, I won't let you suffer anymore."

Indeed, she got rich, but my independence became her excuse not to take care of me.

Meanwhile, time had romanticized the pain John had caused her, turning him into the one she could never have.

Suddenly, Vivian seemed to have remembered something and took out a small gift box. "I promised to give you a birthday present last month. I've been really busy lately, and I almost forgot."

When I opened it, I found a wallet worth 99 dollars inside.

Vivian picked it up and weighed it in her hand before saying in satisfaction, "It's simple and durable. It suits you. You seldom go to high-end venues, so you don't need any expensive wallets."

Before I could say anything, her phone lit up on the table.

John had sent her a photo.

Within it, he was wearing a limited-edition watch.

[Got your present.]

[It was worth 990,000 dollars. You really are generous with your money.]

[I can't believe you still remember me saying I liked it six years ago.]

Vivian had forgotten my birthday one month ago, but she remembered the watch that John had casually mentioned six years ago.

One was worth 99 dollars, and the other was worth 990,000 dollars.

There were several zeros worth of difference between them.

Perhaps to Vivian, John was also ten thousand times as much as I did.