Silence hung thickly in the hospital room.

Jason, who was rebuking the culprits a moment ago, stiffened. His mind replayed the last sentence.

"Don't tell me that after all these years, you've fallen for her?"

Fallen for Ivy? Impossible!

He rejected the thought instantly, almost violently, like denying it hard enough would erase the strange flicker in his chest.

He had always liked Felicity. Who the hell was Ivy? He just needed her for one thing, and that was to rain his vengeance upon.

That being said… Why would he be so furious when he saw those thugs trying to press themselves on her, if that were truly the case?

He had never been so angry and impulsive before, not even when other men tried to flirt with Felicity.

The room was in pin-drop silence once more.

Jason's friends looked at each other as if they were reassured. One of them patted Jason's shoulder, saying in relief, "You should've told us sooner. You scared us, man. We really thought you caught feelings and ruined the whole revenge game for yourself. That wouldn’t be worth it! If Felicity found out, she'd cry her eyes out."

Jason suppressed the strange emotions bubbling in him. He said icily, "I'll never fall for Ivy. Not in this lifetime."

His friends fell into ease with that, saying with a smile, "Alright, alright. She's probably coming around soon. We should go."

Once everyone left, Jason slowly walked over to the bed to look at Ivy in her sleep. Her face was pale, her brows a little furrowed. She did not look like she was sleeping well.

His finger subconsciously touched her on the face. The moment he touched her, he instantly pulled back as if his fingers were burned.

He turned to head to the window. He lit a cigarette and took a huge puff, trying to use nicotine to calm his buzzing mind.

When Ivy woke up, Jason was the only one in the room. He sat down next to her with a glass of water in his hand.

When he saw her coming around, he asked softly, "How are you feeling? Do you still feel unwell?"

Ivy did not answer. She merely looked away, avoiding his gaze.

For the next few days, Jason stayed in the hospital to look after Ivy. He would occasionally head out to answer a call, but whenever he returned, there would always be a subtle hint of tenderness on his face.

Ivy knew he was probably comforting Felicity.

Ivy came to the realization that Jason had always been this way, even when they were together. He would often head out to answer a call, always saying that it was something important.

Ivy had never once thought much about it. It was not until this moment that she realized that Felicity had always been at the other end of the line.

The doctor came to change her wound dressing.

Ivy looked up to see a young, handsome doctor and was taken aback. She asked, "You weren't my previous doctor, were you?"

The doctor smiled and replied gently, "That was my teacher. I'm just an intern under his wing. He has to make the rounds today, so I'll be helping you change your dressing."

Ivy nodded and said nothing else.

The young doctor was gentle, yet he was always blushing a little. Before he left, he hesitated for a while before asking, "Can I… ask for your contact?"

That caught Ivy by sheer surprise.

Before she could answer, Jason entered. He swept the young doctor an icy look and said warningly, "She has a boyfriend. Can't you see? Flirting with the patients–are you trying to get fired?"

Utterly terrified by Jason's presence, the young doctor nervously apologized and left the room.

Jason walked over to Ivy and grunted, sounding somewhat unhappily, "If you ever meet people like him again in the future, just say that you have a boyfriend. How hard is it to say that?"

Ivy looked at him, finding his words ironic. He said that he would never fall for her in this lifetime, so why was he being so possessive?"

…

A few days after she got discharged, Jason suddenly suggested that they attend a class reunion party together.

Ivy knew that Jason never bothered with such events, yet he was the one who suggested it. Clearly, something was up.

Sure enough, when they arrived at the venue, Ivy immediately spotted Felicity. Jason pretended to keep a distance from Felicity, as if he did not wish to have any contact with her.

However, one could not truly hide their true feelings.

Halfway through, Ivy excused herself to the ladies' room. When she returned, she noticed that the group was in a game of truth or dare.

Felicity had lost, so she was asked to answer a private question. Felicity, feeling flustered, was about to open her mouth when Jason snatched the car from her and said icily, "I'll take the punishment on her behalf."

The question on the card was, [Who is your sexual fantasy? Say the initials of their names.]

Everyone started chiming in. "Even though this question is rather private, it's nothing to Jason! He has a girlfriend! He'll surely mention his girlfriend!"

Jason was silent for a while before calmly saying, "F. S."

Ivy's heart sank. Her fingers trembled.

F, S.

Felicity Shaw.

She could no longer bear to watch.

She left the venue and texted Jason, [I'm unwell. I'll head back home.]

Ivy was standing by the side of the road, about to hail a taxi, when a familiar voice rang out from behind her.

"Ivy!"

Startled, Ivy turned around and saw Jason quickly approaching her.

"Why are you here?" Ivy asked.

Jason's brows were furrowed. Worry gleamed in his eyes. "You said you were unwell, right? Where do you feel unwell? I'll take you to the hospital."

Ivy looked at him as mixed emotions bubbled up in her. She shook her head, saying calmly, "I'm fine. I'm just a little light-headed. Are you not playing with them?"

"You're my girlfriend. If you say that you're not feeling well and you're leaving, why should I still stay there?" Jason reached out to touch her forehead as if checking if she was having a fever.

Ivy looked at him, a little confused. Was the whole reason he wanted to come out tonight not just to see Felicity? Why did he run out of the party just because of her message?

Ivy did not bother to pester; there was no reason to. A moment ago, her parents had just sent her a message saying that the paperwork was more or less done.

She would leave in two days, away from everything.

Jason was relieved to find that she was not having a fever. He no longer pursued the matter further, merely saying, "Let's go. We'll go home."

…

In the middle of the night, Ivy stirred in her sleep. She could hear voices coming from the balcony.

She opened her eyes and gently walked over to the balcony. She realized that Jason was smoking on the balcony.

His phone was on loudspeaker mode, placed on the railings. Although the volume was soft, going in closer, Ivy could hear the other end of the line.

"Jason, we've come up with a ruthless one for the ninety-ninth round of revenge! Two days later will be your anniversary, right? Just tell Ivy that you're preparing a surprise for her. Then, you'll blindfold her and lead her to my abandoned mansion.

"After that, you'll find an excuse to leave. Once you leave, we'll set the outside on fire and lock the door! We'll trap her in the fire! How does that sound?"

"She'll surely be in despair and try to break down the door!"

"Yes! Let her have the taste of despair!"

A burst of laughter came from the other end of the line. Everyone seemed to think that it was a great idea.

Just the thought of that scenario made Jason's veins pop. He said with a hint of anger, "No. I don't agree with this."

"You're shooting this idea down, again? Jason, don't you want to just end this game quickly? We promise that no one's going to get killed! We'll wait until the very last moment when she can no longer hold it anymore, then we'll open the door."

Jason's tone remained icy. "No. It's risky. Nothing can happen to her."

Someone said, "Wait a second, Jason. I heard that you abandoned Felicity and ran after Ivy today! Felicity cried for an entire night, and you took a long time to console her.

"Then, to appease her, you told us to come up with the ninety-ninth round of revenge. Why are you being so picky now? Do you still remember who your true love is?

"Quickly break up with Ivy and return to Felicity. Didn't you always want that?"

Jason's breathing staggered. He wanted to retort when Felicity's voice came from the other end of the line.

"Jason, I heard what you all said. I'm asking you right now: I want you to do what they said on Ivy, as revenge. Do you agree or not?"

Jason was silent.

Felicity said with a catch in her throat, "You promised me you'd do anything for me!"

Jason finally said with a hoarse voice, "Alright, I'll agree. I'll do whatever you say."

Felicity chuckled in delight. His friends also said excitedly, "Alright! We can't wait for that day!"

Jason reminded them once more, "Make sure nothing serious will happen."

Ivy stood in the shadows. It felt as if some invisible hand was squeezing her heart tightly. It was so painful that she could not breathe.

She quietly returned to bed, picked up her phone, and sent a text.

…

On the day of their anniversary, Jason went according to plan and said to Ivy, "Ivy, I've prepared a surprise for you tonight. Close your eyes. I'll take you to a place."

Ivy quietly looked at him, holding her gaze for a long while before she eventually closed her eyes.

Jason smiled and blindfolded her with a piece of silk. Then, he led her to the car.

When they arrived, Jason led her inside the mansion and said softly, "Wait here for me. I'll go and get the gifts. I'll be back soon."

Ivy stood in the same spot, listening to Jason's footsteps getting further away.

Just as he was about to shut the door, Ivy suddenly called out to him, "You know, Jason, I really like you."

Jason stopped in his tracks, listening to Ivy.

"I've liked you for a very long time. When you agreed to be with me, I was over the moon and thought all my dreams had finally come true. That night, I couldn't even sleep. I was so excited I cried on my pillows the entire night. Pretty silly of me, huh?"

Jason said nothing, but his breathing quickened ever so slightly.

Ivy continued, "Today is our third anniversary. This is also the first time you prepared something for me. I'm really looking forward to it."

Jason's throat felt a little dry. A moment later, he said, "I'll be right back. Wait for me."

Then, he shut the door.

Ivy immediately took off her blindfold. Soon, she could smell gasoline in the air. She smirked and walked over to the corner of the wall.

Then, she dragged a fake body that she had prepared beforehand. After she overheard the phone call, she got a fake body custom-made according to her looks and height.

After the fire, everyone would think that it was her.

She placed a recorder on the table. She had recorded her voice asking for help.

"Well, Jason… Since you've fooled me ninety-eight times, the ninety-ninth will be my turn to fool you," Ivy gently said before playing the recording.

Soon, the entire mansion echoed with her voice. "Help! Open the door! Jason, help me!"

She turned and left through the back door without ever looking back. She hailed a taxi and headed straight to the airport.

In the distance, fire raged against the backdrop of the star-lit skies.