My efforts to win over Linda finally hit a slump.

At this point, all that was left were the routine, half-hearted “good morning” and “good night” messages every day.

Even my once-overflowing urge to share things had completely dried up. I genuinely had nothing left to talk about.

I originally wanted to study her social media posts for clues, but unfortunately, her account was private.

So in the end, I had no choice but to turn to David for help.

“You care about her that much?” he asked, raising a brow as he pulled me into his arms.

“Mia, I’ll get jealous.”

I turned around and wrapped my arms around his neck.

“But I’m doing all this for you. For the sake of the three of us getting along harmoniously.

“It’s not easy for me, you know!”

As I spoke in a sweet, coaxing tone, I rubbed my thumb against my index and middle fingers.

After all his years in business, David understood this signature gesture instantly.

So, just like that, I received another large transfer.

At the same time, I also learned about Linda’s preferences. She liked old, vintage, and traditional things.

After thinking it through, I realized the place I used to live was full of those things.

So that very day, I packed up a whole pile of trash and shipped it off to her.

No, not trash! They were nostalgic vintage items.

A few days later, she sent me a photo.

In a woven sack were all the carefully selected “cultural treasures” I had sent.

[This is the gift you sent me?]

I eagerly took credit. [Of course, I spent a long time gathering all of these.]

She started typing again.

After a while, she sent another photo of a pair of women’s crystal plastic slippers.

[This, too?]

I had bought those at a small convenience shop downstairs from my old apartment. The original price was ten dollars, and I had bargained it down to four and a half.

[Of course. Don’t you like them? I picked them very carefully. I thought this rose-red color would really suit your temperament.

[You don’t like them?]

I followed up with a crying emoji.

[It’s not that I don’t like them. They just don’t fit.]

She sent another photo. Sure enough, the slippers looked a bit tight.

[Next time you buy me shoes, remember I wear size 43.]

I was shocked.

Before I could even process that, she sent another photo.

[This is also from you?]

In the picture, her slender fingers were holding the tail of a sardine.

Sardines in olive oil, so delicious!

Over the next hour, she kept pulling out all sorts of old items.

Enamel mugs, enamel basins, kerosene lamps, thermos flasks, palm-leaf fans, canned fruit, military coats, peony-print bedsheets…

If it hadn’t been so expensive to ship, I would’ve even sent her an old-school bicycle.

[You really went through the trouble of collecting all of these, one by one.

[Mia, do you even have a heart?]

Now that was just unfair! All of this was based on the preferences David had told me!

I spent quite a while carefully drafting a long explanation. But before I could send it, she messaged again.

[Mia, I didn’t expect you to have thoughts like this.

[To go this far for me, I’m very touched.]

As a reliable sugar baby, I took the opportunity to boost David’s image as well.

[You’re welcome. David was the one who told me all this.]

Linda replied, [He’s that kind?]

[Of course. After all, the three of us will be living together in the future.]

That night, no matter how many messages I sent, Linda never read or replied to a single one.

I sat on the bed, feeling dejected.

David came out of the shower, a towel loosely draped around his waist. Droplets of water clung to the ends of his hair as they slid down his collarbone and onto his chest.

“Mia, she’s coming back tomorrow.”

David was especially energetic that night.

In the afterglow, he held me in his arms and said, “When she comes back, we should be a bit more discreet.”

I gave a muffled “mm.”

David pulled me closer. “What’s wrong?”

I turned over and wrapped myself tighter in the blanket. “Nothing.”

Even though I had accepted being a sugar baby, hearing something like that still made my chest feel a little tight.

I quietly calculated the money I’d saved over the years. If I pushed for one more year, it would probably be time for me to stop being David’s sugar baby.

Just then, my phone lit up.

I had just reached out to grab it when David pulled me back into his arms.

“Mia, I’m sorry.”

David really was a good sugar daddy.

All these years, he had never said anything harsh to me. He was even the kind who would apologize.

“I said the wrong thing just now.

“There’s no need to be discreet. Don’t feel bad. If you want, even in front of her, I could…”

I hurriedly shut him up with a kiss before he could finish that terrifying idea.

Even if I had temporarily, briefly, and reluctantly accepted the idea of the three of us living together for the sake of money, I wasn’t that open-minded.

I definitely wasn’t about to act out something explicit in front of Linda.

Sensing my initiative, David only got more excited.

The next morning, my whole body ached.

The phone rang at a very inappropriate time.

Usually at this hour, David would call to remind me to get up and eat breakfast.

Still half-asleep, I picked up.

“Mm… so tired.”

I hadn’t even opened my eyes yet.

“It’s all your fault, going so many times last night…”

The line suddenly went dead.

I jolted awake instantly.

I checked the caller.

It was Linda!

She had sent me more than ninety-nine messages throughout the night.

All of them were about her personal preferences.

[I like a temperature that’s neither too hot nor too cold, so in the winter, the AC should be set to 16°C. In the summer, the house should feel the same as outside.

[I like food that’s neither too salty nor too sweet.

[I like strawberry-flavored things.

…

[Actually, I’m not that difficult.

[It’s fine if you don’t know.]

…

[What kind of… flavors… do you usually like?]

…

[I didn’t mean it like that. I was just curious.]

…

Thinking back to how Linda had hung up, she must be angry!

She was coming back today, and last night I had still been procreating with David!

I quickly sent a message to explain, only for a bright red exclamation mark to pop up.

[Message sent, but blocked by the recipient.]

Just as I was about to use another number to add her, a message from her appeared.

[Break up with David.]

Just as expected, there was no such thing as a first love who didn’t care.

[Be with me. I’ll keep you.]

Huh?

…

The housekeeper, Mrs. Thompson, dragged me out of bed.

After all, Linda was about to arrive.

“Aren’t we going to the airport to pick her up?”

David looked up at me. “We were going to, but you were sleeping so soundly, so I had her come back on her own.”

I took another sharp breath.

No wonder she was so angry that she talked nonsense.

I carefully said, “Later, you should coax her a bit more.”

David pulled me onto his lap and chuckled. “Didn’t I hear that you two were already close enough to exchange gifts?”

I fiddled with the corner of my clothes. “It’s… just okay.”

How was I supposed to explain that I had completely ruined things?

“Sir, she’s back, she’s back!”

Lewis rushed in excitedly. Even Mrs. Thompson dropped her cleaning cloth and ran out.

So this was the charm of the first love!

The front door slowly opened.

A middle-aged, elegant woman appeared before us.

She was indeed beautiful enough to be someone’s first love. However, her age didn’t quite match.

“Mom, welcome home.”

David stood up to greet her.

I froze. “Mom?”

So the first love I had been chatting with for over a month was David’s mother?!

All at once, every single embarrassing thing I had said over the past month came rushing back to me.

“Mom, this is Mia. Those old items you mentioned, she’s the one who found them and sent them to you.”

David pulled me to the front.

Linda’s gaze swept over me.

I lowered my head in embarrassment, wishing I could dig a hole and bury myself on the spot.

“So this is my future sister-in-law.”

I heard his voice before I even saw him.

David introduced him with clear displeasure, “Scott.”

Of course I knew.

As a qualified sugar baby, I was very familiar with everything my sugar daddy liked and disliked.

Meanwhile, my feet were practically digging a hole in the ground.

As Scott passed ‌me, his voice dropped so low that only the two of us could hear it.

“Why are you acting so distant with me?”

“Didn’t you want me to call you ‘Mommy’? Hm?”

I snapped my head up.

Great! This was beyond saving!

The person I’d been talking about a three-person relationship with every day wasn’t Linda, nor was she the first love I had spent an entire month pleasing.

It was Scott!